Six Months
by writingisart1994
Summary: Bella moves every six months. For the next six months, she will be living with Edward. Lustful tensions are high, but once the two get more involved Bella finds that she has quickly fallen for Edward. Will they be able to survive some big secrets and a dark past? ***This is my first fanfic. Let me know what you think***
1. Moving Day

Chapter 1

Today was moving day…again. Every six months I find myself moving from place to place. Queen of the six-month lease as my God-Brother says. It does get annoying after a while, not having any place to actually call home. I thought I had that before, but the owner turned out to be crazy and burned the place down. My room was in the basement so nothing was damaged by the fire, but where I moved to after that I couldn't take my stuff there. That's when the contractors came in and threw, everything I wasn't able to find in my three hot pink and Cheetah print suitcases, out and took it to the dump.

I was only able to sign a six-month lease where I moved and that leads me back to finding the room Edward Cullen was renting out…or as I like to call him "God of Wet Panties." I mean the guy was everything that I imagined in a guy that can give a girl on amazing orgasm.

He was tall and lean with crazy bronze hair and wild green eyes. He has this adorable crooked smile and blinding white teeth. His voice was low with a slight rasp and guaranteed to make you weak in the knees.

…and there goes another pair of panties. I swear just thinking about him caused me to moan…internally of course. That would be super embarrassing if I was to moan out loud for no reason.

"Are you ready to go?" My dad Charlie asked as I put the last box in the back of my U-Haul.

"Yes, time to move to another house for another six months," I said while letting out a deep sigh.

"You will find your forever home soon. I have a really good feeling that something good is going to happen." That was my Best Friend, Alice. She was a thin petite girl with shoulder length jet black hair. Her eyes were a sparkling blue. Her voice was a high pitch, but not to the point where it would irritate you after a long period of time. I would know if it would annoy you after a while because she talks all the time, almost non-stop. She talks about her "Feelings" A LOT. Most of the time her feelings are correct, which is creepy. It's almost like she is psychic.

"Forever Home? What am I a dog at the shelter looking for a home?"

"Well if we are being honest Bella, yes you are."

What? How dare she say something to cruel…but also true.

"Well, can I at least be a puppy? They have a more likely chance of getting adopted out." I try giving her the puppy dog eyes.

She simply giggles and nudges me towards the car. It was time to leave this nice home in Renton and move back to Bellevue. At least this place was close to my work and catching the bus would be super easy and simple, one bus to work and one bus home. I missed this commute. It was everything that I needed.

We got in the cars and hit the 405 to Bellevue.

We were driving through back streets and finally arrived at the house. It was another large two story house. The Double Oak doors were grand but welcoming to me. The front yard was massive with an absolutely stunning garden.

I Stepped up and rang the doorbell. I could hear a loud boisterous voice and heavy footsteps coming to the door. After a couple of minutes, a large bear-like man answered the door. I immediately took two steps back and could feel my flight instincts kicking in.

"HEY! You must be Bella my brother told me that you would be arriving today. I'm Emmett the older and much more handsome brother." Emmett had this huge dimple filled smile on his face.

"H-Hi Emmett. Nice to meet you." I stepped forward and stuck out my hand for him to shake. I guess he didn't like that because the next thing I know the air knocked out of me and I was being twirled around like a rag doll.

"EMMETT CULLEN! YOU PUT HER DOWN RIGHT NOW!" The voice came from somewhere around us. I wasn't sure where because I was still being twirled around. One thing I was sure of is that I was going to vomit if the twirling didn't stop.

I was suddenly placed on my feet, but I didn't stay there for too long. My butt hit the ground and the world was still spinning. Why won't the world stop spinning?

"See what you did. You probably made her sick. Are you ok sweets?" This very calm mother like voice was asking me.

"I think so I just need the world to go from 50 miles per hour to 0. Once that happens everything will be great." The woman chuckled at my response but rubbed my back.

"Bella? What the Hell? You have literally been here for 5 minutes and you're already on your ass?" The words Alice was saying were probably meant to sound irritated, but instead, she sounded more amused.

"It wasn't her fault dear. My bear of a son decided that he was going to pick her up and spin her. I'm still training him to be a good boy." The kind women next to be stated.

The world started to slow down and I was able to look at the women next to me. She was pretty much the female version of Edward. You could tell she was older because of the slight wrinkles around her eyes and the few gray hairs that were twisted up in the braid that was off to the side. He eyes were kind, but also gave off the faint hint that she had seen some tough times in her life. She smelled like Vanilla and chocolate chip cookie, she naturally gave off the warm presence of being a mother. I honest just wanted to wrap my arms around her and ask if she could read me a bedtime story. Wait, what?

"Hi, I'm Esme, Edward and Emmett's mother. Let me help you up." She stood and landed me a hand.

I got up and dusted myself off. It was at that moment that the god of my dreams drove into the driveway. He stepped out of the 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG S. The lust I felt at that moment was enough for him to simply touch me, and I would have been screaming his name to the heavens above.

Alice nudged me knowing already that I had a mini crush on the guy. I rolled my eyes and tried to compose myself. I could feel my cheeks heating up and I did not need him seeing me blush.

"Bella, nice to see you again. I hope my brother didn't cause you too much trouble. He can be like a little too friendly at times." He was walking up to the front door where we all seemed to gather.

My dad had finally gotten out of the truck. I could see the look of curiosity on his face. We had been here for 20 minutes and hadn't started moving anything into the downstairs.

"Not at all Edward. I was just meeting your mother. We haven't been here for that long."

He gave me that glorious smiling and I found myself blushing again. He must have noticed because his smile grew. "I think we need to get you moved in."

All moved. Everything is in my room now it's just time to unpack. I must take a shower first because it was 90 degrees out and I smell like a locker room. The great thing about this house is that I have an ensuite bathroom with both a claw-foot tub and a walk-in shower that could easily fit five people in there.

I Start the shower and let the water heat up. Once it's to my satisfaction I let the warmth flow onto my body and relax all my tense muscles. I start to think of the things Edward and I could do in this shower, on the counter, and in the tub. My hands fall to my stomach and then to the promise land that few men have visited before.

I start to rub my clit at the thought of Edward Kissing my neck while he stands behind me. The feeling of his glorious manhood pressing against me. His hands replacing mine and showing me exactly what talents those fingers hold. I could feel him pressing his fingers inside of me.

My mouth opened to let out a long moan. "Oh, Edward! Yes! Touch me. Claim me."

My back now pressed up against the cool tile of the shower. He Drops to his knees and hitches my leg over his shoulder. He licks his lips and makes a feast out of my pussy. I grab a fist full of his already crazy hair and pray to the heavens for release.

"Please, Edward. Help me find release. Please."

He gives me that wonderful smile and says "Only if you scream my name. Let me know who this Pussy belongs to." His finger moving inside me in slow maddening movements.

I nod my head because words have seemed to evade me.

While his fingers are still moving he goes back to feasting on me. I feel my release growing closer and closer. The realization that I'm about to have the best orgasm I've had in a while hits.

SLAM!

I'm startled out of my fantasy by a loud noise coming from my room. What in the world was that?

I get out of the shower and go to check it out. I don't see anything out of place, but the hanger that is on the back of my door is moving. The wind must have closed my door.

I finish my shower and get dressed in shorts and a tank top. I need water then start unpacking.

I make my way to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. The house is silent and the sun is just setting. You can see both Downtown Seattle and Downtown Bellevue where kitchen window. Behind the skyline are the Cascade Mountains. This is a house I can get used to living in, but I know that I can't afford attachments.

"Hey," Edward said from behind me. Scaring the crap out of me.

"Hey. I was just enjoying the view. How was your day?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. The view does have a way of captivating people. I bought the house because of the view. I'm always busy with family business. I just wanted something nice to look at when I have a few moments of silence." He looked a little nervous. He was rubbing the back of his neck and looking at the ground.

"I understand. I work in a call center and it is always buzzing like a bee hive." Looking at him got me thinking about the awesome shower that I just got done with, but wasn't able to fully finish…if you know what I mean.

To hide my blush I turned around to wash out my glass. Suddenly I felt his body press up against mine. He was smelling the nape of my neck. His body was warm and felt perfect against mine.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a long six months." He whispered in my ear. Then as suddenly as his body appeared against mine, it was gone.

In my state of shock, it took a while to recover. He was right, this was going to be a long six months.


	2. Who Wants Pizza?

Chapter 2

"Wait a minute! He said what?" Alice practically screamed in my ear. I had just gotten done telling her what Edward had said to me on my last night. To say she was a little shocked would be a major understatement.

"Yes, Alice. You heard correctly. I didn't know what to say. I was completely shocked…and a little turned on." I mean for crying out loud, I was blushing just thinking about it.

"I would have been too, and we both know that I am no stranger to inappropriate comments and one night stands." That was very true. Half of the time I was blushing because of something that she said. We have been friends for years, but there was no getting used to her active imagination.

"How do I even live in the same house as him? Should I just act like it never happened? What do I do Alice?" I was kind of going into panic mode. This wasn't a situation I was used to being in. I mean I have had sexual encounters before, but none of them were even near the level of sexy Edward was on.

"Of course, you act like something happened, but you can't act like something happened. You know?"

"No Alice, I don't know."

"Fine. You need to test the waters gently." I could hear her eyes rolling.

"Try again. This time in English." We were both getting a little frustrated.

"Oh. My. God. How did you survive before me?" She asked with irritation present in her voice.

"I have no clue. I guess I was Rose floating on the door until I heard you voice in the distance." I said with the most smart-ass tone of voice I had.

"You better be lucky I was in a generous mood that night, I should have just let your ass freeze."

I chuckled, I love this girl.

"Since I need to simplify things. You need to gauge his interest. Wear your shorts around the house. Wear some makeup, but not a lot only enough to make you look awake. Wear those awesome messy buns you can pull off so well. 'Mistake' his clothes for yours. You know? Little stuff. It will show if he is paying attention. Also if he is already into you, he won't be able to resist you for too much longer."

She did have a point there. This would show if he was interested in me, but this would also give her a reason to take me shopping because make-up wasn't something that I wore. The silence on her end was pretty much telling me that she had her purse and keys ready. I just needed to give her the signal.

"Fine. I need to get ready. Pick me up in 20 minutes." I said letting out a sigh.

I heard her giggle on the other end enjoying her victory.

The line disconnected and I started to get ready.

We arrived at Southcenter Mall and Alice was practically bouncing with pleasure. She grabbed my hand and dragged me through the doors. The mall was redone back in 2008 and since then this was the mall that Alice was always going to, that is if she wasn't going to Portland.

"Alright, so we need to go to Torrid because even though you are considered 'skinny' by society's standards, your boobs are not Victoria Secret-friendly." She sounded bothered by that fact.

"Well, I'm sorry some of us had fairy god-mothers that gifted us with boobs. Not that I get much use out of them anyways." I said under my breath.

"I heard that." She yelled from 5 steps in front of me.

I wasn't really paying attention to what was happening in front of me. There was a kiosk for flat irons and it made me remember that I needed a new one. All of a sudden what felt like a brick wall was in front of me.

"Alice what the hell? Why did you just stop?"

She wasn't responding. She just stood there with a shocked look on her face as if she saw a ghost. "Hello? Is anyone home?" I said waving my hand in front of her face. I looked in the direction she was looking in. All I saw was a dirty blonde guy with stormy gray eyes. I would place him at about 5'11", he had on Jeans combat boots and a flannel. He was good looking but not as sexy as Edward was.

"Are you looking at the blonde guy? Yes, he is cute and you should totally get his number." She was still standing in the middle of the walkway and people were starting to look at us with irritation.

"Not entirely. It was more like who was with him. He looked really familiar." She said finally coming out of her shocked state.

"Whatever. Can we get this over with? I going to be hungry soon."

She rolled her eyes and continued to Torrid.

We were making our way to find out what secrets Victoria had when I noticed that Alice kept looking over her shoulder. Whenever I would ask her what was going on she would just brush it off and say she thought she saw someone she knew. It makes sense though because she is here every weekend.

We spent forever in Victoria Secret and also a small fortune, but I did buy some outrageously cute and sexy house clothes.

When we were exiting the store I noticed the Bronze hair first, then the green eyes, and finally, the sexy body that went with the rest of it. He was smirking at me as if he knew that I was here and he was waiting for me.

Now it was my turn for me to stand there and be completely shocked. I mean this guy just can't give me or my body a break. I feel my cheeks heating up and my legs getting weak. I hear Alice giggling in the background.

He walks over to where I'm standing. "So are you shopping for yourself? Or will you be showing that stuff off to a specific person?" This guy knows what he does to me mentally and physically. Holy Crap.

"Well, that depends if someone has been a good boy. If so, then he will get a treat." Wait. Did I just say that? Where in the hell did that come from? I could feel Alice staring at me thinking the same thing.

"Well I don't know about good, but I have been bad. What does that get me?" He stepped closer to me. If he took three more steps we would be chest-to-chest. It seemed like the closer he got the quicker my breathing became.

"Bad boys get a lacy blue and black number." What was happening? I would never say these words to any guy let alone a god-like man named Edward. He was making me lose my mind. That I'm sure of. Alice started choking on her own breath at that one.

"Do you promise?" He took another step.

I decided to play it safe and simply nod my head. I don't need any more crazy talk spewing out of my mouth.

"Edward, there you are. I was looking for you, I even tried calling your phone." It was the blond guy from before. His accent matched his outfit. He was a southern boy. I wonder what he was doing is Washington.

"Sorry about that Jasper. I saw this beautiful young lady and just needed to say 'hi'. Jasper this is Bella my roommate, Bella this is a college friend of mine Jasper." I blushed when he called me beautiful. Interesting, I blush at that but not the flirtatious conversation we were having five seconds before. Uh.

"Hi, Jasper. Nice to meet you." I said shaking his hand. I pointed to Alice "and this is my best friend Alice."

"Howdy cowboy." Alice sang. Oh boy. She was laying it on thick for him. This guy didn't have a chance in hell.

"Please, the pleasure is all mine." He bent over kissing her hand. Uh-oh. I think Alice might have a run for her money. The look he gave her made her blush. I mean this is Alice we are talking about. I don't think she has blushed since 8th grade when she saw a guy's dick for the first time at a party.

At that moment my stomach did a pre-growl. This meant that I needed food within the next 5 minutes or it was going to release the Kraken.

"Hey, Alice I need food." My friend rolled her eyes but let go of Jaspers' hand.

Alice had just left my house after helping me carry my bags up the stairs to my room. She wished me luck and drove off into the sunset.

I was unpacking my bags and putting everything away. I was very glad that I stayed up until 2 am unpacking my room and putting clothes away. It freed up a lot of room but also helped with the overload of stuff I had.

I heard the front door open and close and heard Edwards voice. I was stuck in between putting the plan into effect now or just waiting until tomorrow.

I texted Alice.

 **Sex god is home. wat do I do? –B**

Almost instantly she replied.

 **Mission Seduction is a go. –A**

 **wat do I wear? –B**

 **Literally, anything we bought today. –A**

I didn't have time to respond before there was another ping.

 **I have taught you well grasshopper, you must trust your instincts now. –A**

Great. I tried to think of something that was revealing, but also teased his imagination. Then it hit me. A dusty Blue Zip up that was skin tight with Black shorts. I will zip the hoodie about three-quarters of the way up and wear the Blue and Black lace plunge bra.

 **Panties or no? –B**

 _Ding_

 **Carpe Diem. –A**

No panties it is.

I got dressed and looked at myself in the mirror. Holy Shit. I looked hot. I have my long brown hair off to the side and put some mascara on.

"You can do this Bella. "

I took a deep breath and headed out to the living room where I heard his voice coming from. I saw him sitting on the couch with the TV on mute. It sounded like he was on a phone call.

"I don't think she is on to me." Well, that stopped me in my tracks. I know they say it's rude being nosey, but the guy was in a public domain, he was pretty much asking for it.

"She seems to be pretty into it." Is he talking about me?

"I have a feeling she is going to drive me crazy in the next six months." Yup, he was talking about me.

At that moment I decided to make my way through the living room and to the kitchen, making sure I stopped for a few seconds to "see" what was on TV then continued to the kitchen. I heard his curse and end the phone call.

I went to the drawer with the takeout menus and started going through them. I could feel his presence once he entered the room. It was like our bodies were synced and reacted to each other. Except for the sound of paper being shuffled together by me the room was silent. He cleared his throat and made his way to the fridge. I took out the Pizza menu hopped up on the counter and started to dial the number.

I placed my order and asked if he wanted anything. His response wasn't what I expected.

"I do but it isn't on a pizza menu." He looked at me and the lust I felt reflected in his eyes.

I completed the order and just looked at him.

"What exactly do you want Mr. Cullen?" I had a feeling I knew what he was thinking, but a girl can never by too sure.

"Oh, Miss Swan I thought it was clear from the afternoon." He says walking over to me. He was ravaging me with his eyes. Once again my heart started to race.

"By the rise and fall of your chest, I know you know what I want. The question is, do I need to work for it?" By the time he was done talking he was standing in between my legs with an arm on each side of me. He leaned in and started to kiss my neck. Upon the first contact, I lost full control of my body. My head rolled to the side granting him more access, my arms wound around his neck and my leg locked him into place.

His arms snaked around my back pulling me closer to him before I knew it I was sitting on the edge of the counter embracing the worship that his lips were giving me. He worked their way down to my breast and sucked on the top of each of them. The feeling was better than the many dreams that I had about him. He unzipped my jacket and noticed what I was wearing.

"I promised you a blue and black lacy number, and I keep my promises." Honestly, where is this stuff coming from?

He licked his lips and dove right in. I could tell that the teasing that we had done the few times we met before I moved here, had done a number on his control. Just like it had for me. He pushed my bra cups down and revealed my very hard nipples to the mix of cold air and his hot breath. Once again his lips unleashed a worship that made be throw my head back and release a porn-star worthy moan.

I realized then that he was the master of foreplay.

Once he was done with my breast he moved his worship back to my neck, sucking hard along the way. It was almost like he was marking me. Telling other guys that I belonged to him. I would want nothing more than to be his.

He made his way from my neck to my mouth and the way he kissed me made me feel like I was being welcomed home. I have never had this feeling from kissing a guy. Edward Cullen was messing with my head.

At that moment the doorbell rang out through the house. Thank God.

I pushed Edward away, fixed my bra and zipped up my jacket. I looked at him and said, "From now on you have to work for it."

His response "Challenge Accepted."

Mission Seduction proved that he was into me. The only thing is that I think we will now both be trying to drive the other person crazy. I let him have a Hershey kiss just then, but he will need to work for the whole candy bar.

Who wants Pizza?


	3. Mind over Body

**A/N: I will try not to do too many of these…unless you actually like them.**

 **Hey everyone, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that has followed/favorited this story. It really does mean a lot to me. I would also like to say thanks to everyone that has commented, I really do appreciate it.**

 **I know that things have been moving quickly with Bella and Edward. I will be slowing it down a little bit. This is an M rated story, so there will be some suggestive scenes. I will also try to post frequently, but I can't promise a timeframe. I definitely won't leave this story hanging in the wind. Please know that I am always working on the next chapter.**

 **I have also been thinking about having a chapter on their first couple of meetings. Let me know what you think, also let me know if you want a chapter in Edwards POV.**

 **And now for chapter three…Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

Avoidance. This is something that I have mastered, but not for the reasons you may think. Like I said we are both going to be trying to drive the other person crazy.

In the first week, I woke up to flowers next to me. Every. Single. Morning. He would walk around shirtless showing all of his glorious muscles to the world…oh, and by the way, he has a "V". You know that "V" I'm talking about, the one that is pointing to his cock saying "lick me like a lollipop." Yeah, that "V".

He would go for runs around the neighborhood and come back in smelling like sweat and Chanel Blue…my favorite. It seemed like I was in a constant state of shock, arousal, and blushing. This isn't fair. This is supposed to be my game, and he was beating me at it.

UGH.

That is when it hit me. He is counting on me seeing him like that, and he wants me to be the one to make the first move. The one thing that he didn't know is that I'm stubborn. R Kelly said it right:

 _My mind's telling me no_

 _But my body, my body's telling me yes_

Except, in this case, my mind would win over my body…at least for the time being.

I talked with Alice about the plan and she agreed. It was time for me to take back control of Mission Seduction.

That is where we are now. This is week two and this will take a lot of planning, good thing I have nothing else better to do before work every day.

The plan is that I stay the night over Alice's house every night, only come home for a shower, change of clothes. I would also do little things to let him know that I had come home while he wasn't there. The main thing I would do was spray a little of my coconut and strawberry perfume in the common areas.

I actually got caught one day while sneaking in, it was all good though because it was Esme.

 _ **Flashback**_

I was coming up the stairs and went straight to the kitchen. To my surprise, there was someone there.

"Hey, Esme. How are you?" I was a little hesitant, I didn't know if I should tell her not to say anything or not.

"Hey sweets, I'm good. Just laughing at my son. For the first time since college, there isn't a girl that is throwing herself at him. This time, he has to work for it." So she knew this game we were playing with each other. The question is, whose side is she on?

"Well, I gave him a free sample. That should hold him over." Why do I even talk? I swear my brain-to-mouth filter hasn't been working lately.

She must have found that hilarious because she was crying so hard that there were tears spilling from her eyes.

"Oh dear, that is the best damn thing I have ever heard. My son be satisfied with a free sample? Yeah right." She continued to laugh. It was very interesting seeing this usually calm and collected women so out of character.

"Should I just give in since I live with him?" I asked a little deflated.

That seemed to end her fun. "You will do no such thing. Watching him squirm is going to be amazing." She said in a very serious tone.

"You want this to happen?" I asked in a very shocked voice.

"Absolutely." She said grabbing her purse of the living room couch. "Make sure you give my son a run for his money." She finished heading down the stair. Well, at least I know whose side she is on.

"Hey, Esme?" I said moving to the top of the stairs.

"Don't worry sweets, I won't tell him when you were here. " She waved as the door was closing.

Nice I had his mom on my side.

 _ **Flashback Done**_

It was currently Friday evening and I had just clocked out of my computer. Alice and I both agreed that I should stay at my house now. That was also partly because she had a date with Jasper tonight and I had a feeling that would end in a night full of loud moans that could be heard from three houses down. There was no way I was going to be in that house tonight.

"What do you have planned for this weekend, Rose?"

Rosalie Hale was a force to be reckoned with and a beauty to behold. She has long blond hair and stunning Violet eyes. She was easily 5'9" with legs that went on for days. Her voice was sultry and mysterious. I have actually seen guys on the brink of being hypnotized only by listening to her voice and looking into her eyes. She had the body that people wrote songs about.

 _She knows she got everything_

 _a woman needs to get a man, yeah._

 _How can she lose with what she use_

 _36-24-36, what a winning hand! – The Commodores_

That song literally applies to Rosalie in every single way. I'm not going to lie, I have a little girl crush on Rosalie Hale.

"Not what, but who." She said nonchalantly. Both she and Alice were fluent in the language of sex and was the master of multiple different positions. "To be honest I'm not sure. I think I might go on the hunt tonight."

"What happened to that doctor you were seeing?"

"He wanted a trophy wife. Not my cup of tea." There was little emotion there.

"Alright. What about the bouncer you met at Trinity?"

"His muscles were big, but his dick wasn't." She sighed out a little disappointed.

"Ouch. How about the married man?"

"The wife found out." She was smiling. This girl was sick.

"Does that mean that your roster is clear?" I was a little shocked. In the 3 years, I have known her, the roster has never been cleared.

"Yes, it does my friend." She said pressing the button to the elevator.

"Wow," I said stepping into the elevator. "Well, I wish you a happy hunting, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

She just chuckled and thanked me.

As I walked out of the building noticed a car in the very empty parking lot. It was a black sedan with tinted windows. It wasn't an outrageously nice car, but it fit into the Bellevue lifestyle people have here. The car roared to life and zoomed out of its parking spot. It was now facing me with the blinding lights in my face. The car and I had a staring competition for about 5 seconds before I started my walk to the transit center, nobody got time for that.

As soon as I started walking the car took off, I'm sure going faster than the actual speed limit.

Once I got home I headed straight for my room. Staying with my friend was fun, but I honestly missed my bad. We had a special relationship. There were some days I just wanted to marry my bed and live happily ever after.

I noticed upon my approach that my door was open, I know that I hadn't left it open earlier today when I was home. I wonder if Edward had come in here. I headed to the large walk-in closet I had when I realized that there was an actual person sitting in the chair on the far side of my room. I reached for the knife that I keep in my purse and flipped the light switch. It was Edward.

"What are you doing in my room?" I was a little angry.

"Just wondering why you have been avoiding me." He said with the same amount of anger I was feeling.

"I needed some space to clear my head." I hope that lie was believable. I had rehearsed that line a few times, hoping that my horrible lying skills didn't show up at this moment.

"That could be. Or you are just trying to drive me crazy." The look in his eyes let me know that I was succeeding at that. Now that I look at his full figure I can see that his hair was far more wild than normal, his eyes weren't the emerald that knew, they were more faded, and he had a five o'clock shadow on his normally clean-shaven face.

"What would make you say that?" I was a little smug.

"You aren't here when I leave the flowers by your bed, but yet you place them in the window seal, you always seem to forget a pair of lace underwear in the dryer when you're done using it, and the most torturous of all is that you leave the house smelling like your glorious scent." At this point, he had left his spot across the room and was making his way to me.

Keep calm. Stand your ground.

"I don't know what you're talking about." My voice was firm.

He was within arm's reach of me. I could literally reach out and touch him. I could fell his hard chest right—no, you can't do this. He needs to work for it.

"Why are we playing games? Obviously, we are both attracted to the other, we should just get it over with." He stepped closer to me. We were chest-to-chest and his fingers were caressing my cheeks. He was leaning in to kiss me.

My mind decided to get my body out of this mess.

" _Make sure you give my son a run for his money."_ Esme's voice rang out in my mind.

I put my hand on his chest and pushed him away. "You will need to work for it, and trust me flowers on my bedside is not working for it. Going shirtless around the house, no matter how pleasing it is, isn't working for it. You need to prove to me that you are worth my body." My voice wasn't as firm as it was before, but I know that my eyes were relaying the message very clearly.

He nodded his head and left the room.

This is going to be a game of Mind over Body, my only worry is I don't know which is stronger.


	4. Bedtime

Chapter 4

My birthday was next week and I was very excited. I'm not usually one that likes to have the attention on them, but when it came to my birthday I wanted nothing more than for all eyes to be on me. Although, since I met Edwards his eyes were my main focus.

Mission Seduction hadn't been forgotten. In the two month timeframe since I moved here, there hasn't been much development in our relationship. Don't get me wrong we are both very interested in each other. Alice won't come over anymore. She had been acting weird every time I invited her in. The last time she was here she finally explained why.

 _ **Flashback**_

Alice had just picked me up from work and was about to drop me off. I hadn't seen my best friend in a while and I really wanted to just sit and talk with her. Maybe open a bottle of wine and pop in a movie.

"Why don't you come in? Let's catch up and talk about life."

"I don't think I'm gonna be able to. I have to meet up with Jasper." She and Jasper had gone on a couple dates. She even admitted to seeing things with him go past just hooking up.

"Oh come on. You have been blowing me off lately. What gives?" I was really tired of her ditching me.

"I'm not blowing you off…I'm blowing Jasper." She said shrugging her shoulders.

"ALICE! You know that's not what I'm talking about." I was becoming very infuriated.

"Alright, alright. Honestly, I don't feel comfortable going in the house. Edward is always waiting for you to come home so you can continue this civil torture you have going on, you two have the most awkward conversations. Everyone can totally tell that you both want to rip off each other's clothes, but you are both too stubborn for either one of you to make the first move." The car was silent. At this point, we were parked in the driveway. I saw the curtains move, indicating that Alice was right and Edward was waiting up for me. Damn it, I hate it when she is right. "I mean I get contact lust just being in the same room as you two."

"Whatever Alice," I said crossing my arms.

"The fact that you are getting mad proves that you know all of this already. You should also know that something has got to give soon."

 _ **Flashback Done**_

She was right, something has got to give. If everything goes to plan for my birthday, I will finally give into him. I was hardly sleeping because of the amount of sexual frustration I was feeling. It was like my body came alive when it was near him, and when I wasn't my body craved his presence and touch.

I found that if I closed my eyes I could remember the taste of his lips, how his hot breath felt on my electrified skin, his mouth claiming me. I could still feel his hands on my thighs working their way up to my breast. I was living in a constant state of torture.

From the dark circles under his eyes, he was probably suffering from the same lack of sleep I was suffering from. He was running so much that I even thought he was training for a marathon…I guess I should start getting ready for long nights because his stamina was amazing. YAY!

We were craving what the other person could give us, and that was release. Ever since that glorious time we had in the kitchen, I have been trying to find release. Trying and failing. Every time I touch myself the feeling I get is nowhere near the level of electricity that courses through my body when his hand "accidentally" grazes my butt or my thighs, or when we bump into each other in the hallway. I quickly learned that no matter how hard I tried, I would never be able to push myself over the edge.

We both know that the slight touches we have been exchanging are fixes just holding us over until the real thing, it is also an understanding that once we fully give into our deepest desires that we won't be able to go back to subtle touches. I think that is the reason we have both been able to hold back from each other for so long, we are scared that this will lead to feelings that neither one of us wants to get caught up in. I guess that is a risk I am going to have to take if I give my body to him.

I look at the clock on my bedside table and realize that it is 3:00 in the morning. This is not good, I have been a zombie at work. My Leads are asking me why my productivity is down, I can't just say "Well my productivity is down because I need my room-lord to fuck me until I can't walk, talk or think. Then maybe I will finally be able to sleep." That would get me fired so quicker than Usain Bolt can run the 100 meters.

I roll over and face the door, wishing Edward could read my mind and just come in here and end both of our sufferings.

 _ **(At the office)**_

Oh my god. I am so tired. I slept a grand total of 4 hours last night. Trust me when you are on the phone all day listening to people complain about everything under the sun, 4 hours isn't nearly enough sleep to operate correctly.

"You look like complete shit," Rose said sitting next to me. "Are you still not able to sleep because of Mr. Sexy?" Oh yeah, Rose was fully aware of the situation I was currently going through. She was part of the reason I was holding out so long.

"Thank you, Rose. I appreciate your wonderful words. I do apologize that we aren't all able to look like we just stepped off a fucking runway." I said with a bit of disdain in my voice.

"Jeesh, you really do need to get laid and quickly." She whipped her hair in my face and turned towards her computer.

"I'm sorry Rose. I just really can't stand that he gets to me like this. I have never had a guy get to me like this." I said with much defeat present in my voice.

"Hey. Don't give up just yet. I know that you can make it to your birthday. He has already confirmed to Jasper that he is going to be there. Alice and I have the most amazing outfit for you to wear out. Trust me he isn't going to be able to resist you in the dress we have picked out." She was rubbing my back as I rested my head on my arms. "You never know this might all be destiny working its magic. Maybe you two are prolonging something that is meant to be." No matter how much of a bitch Rose tried to be to everyone, she is truly a hopeless romantic. She has her dream dress ready and her kids names all picked out. If you heard her story, you wouldn't think that she would ever open her heart up to anyone again. There was some truth to that thought. She has tried to let some guys get close, but she would panic and shut them out and barricade the door. She would simply say "not ready" and move on from there.

"I don't know if he is 'The One' from what his mom said he is a player. This will be just a one night stand thing or maybe friends with benefits, but nothing past that." I was the only one that would probably catch feeling from all of this. No matter how hard I tried I always caught feelings.

"You doubt your beauty, and I mean more than just on the outside. You have a beautiful soul, people love to be around you. Trust me, the look that man gives you says more than just 'mine for a night' that look says 'mine forever'." She gave me that knowing look.

I hate this soft side of Rose. She always makes me cry, just like right now.

I see the clock turn to 1:58 pm. I wipe my cheeks. "Time to end the mushy talk. We need to enter the gates of hell in two minutes."

She chuckles and starts taking phone calls.

 _ **(Back at the house)**_

I walk in the house exhausted after another long day of phone calls and thoughts of Edward. He has invaded my mind in every way you can think of.

As I walk down the hallway I see the light in Edwards room turn off. I hope at least one of us can get some sleep tonight. If we keep this up, we will both be sleepwalking into the other person's rooms.

Maybe a nice bubble bath with lavender oil will help.

I prep the tub, strip my clothes and ease into the tub. The warmth of the water and the scent of the lavender oil surround my body. This is amazing and I feel the tension in my muscles slowly but surely disappear.

I stay there for about 30 minutes when the water starts to cool off. I decide to get out and head to bed. I feel relaxed enough for sleep to finally claim my body.

 _ **1 hour later**_

Are you freaking kidding me? That's it.

I get out of bed and head across the hall. I bang on his door and wait for a few minutes. I start to lose my confidence when the door swings open. He looks just as awake as I do. His hair is going in every direction, the circle under his eyes rival mine, the frustration that appears on his face matches what I feel in my body.

I push my way into his room.

"This has got to stop." I say as he closes the door behind me.

Well, this is going be an interesting bedtime.


	5. Where does this leave us?

**AN: I am so sorry for the long wait. I had to work this past weekend and wasn't able to work on this until today. I want to thank all of you for your patience.**

 **This chapter will have a lemon just as a warning, in case you don't like to read those. This is my first attempt at a lemon so I hope it's good.**

 **And now for chapter 5…**

Chapter 5

I stopped for a minute with my back to Edward. I finally found the courage once again to face Edward. The look in his eyes was intense and filled with lust and a little something more. His intense green eyes were unleashing their full force on me. In this moment he could tell me to do anything and I would do it. I was hypnotized by him.

Suddenly his body was getting closer and closer to mine. I don't know why but with every step he took forward I took one back. Soon my legs hit the edge of his bed while he was still moving closer to me. He moved like a predator, and I was his prey. He knew that he had me, his slow movements were simply him relishing in the fact that I gave in first.

When there was finally no room in between us he wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned down. Before I knew it our lips were fighting for dominance. I could feel his hands moving to the hem of my shirt, then removing it. His lips moved down to my breast and were once again worshiping them. His hands were moving up my back and back down to my butt.

His lips were sending heat all the way down to my clit. Suddenly I felt the need for friction. I started to rub my legs together to get some kind of relief. He pushed my back on the bed, spreading my legs apart. The rush of cold air on my heated skin made my skin have goosebumps. He moved in between my legs and started to kiss up my thighs. He reached the hem of my shorts and jumped to my navel. He made eye contact with me and kept it while he reached for the top of my shorts. He gave a little tug and I lifted my hips.

My shorts joined my shirt across the room.

"You don't wear panties when you go to sleep. I like it." His voice was deep and sultry, it sent another wave of heat down to my clit.

Friction. I need Friction.

I tried to close my legs but he was in between them. I reached my pussy and suddenly my hands were being held above my head by his.

"I will be the only one giving you release. Your pussy is now mine." There was dominance in his voice. I could see in his eyes that this would be more than just sex to him, this would be his staking his claim on my body.

He buried his face in between my legs and feasted on everything that I had to give him. This was better than my dreams. His tongue was swirling around my clit making my entire body shudder, then I felt his finger enter my body. He was moving them in and out at a torturous pace, then he curled his finger inside me and my back arched off the bed.

The pleasurable sensations that were going through my body were becoming too much. I grabbed a handful of his wild hair but instead on pushing him away I only drew him in closer. I tried to move up the bed, but his hand moved to my hips and held me in place. Then he drove his face deeper into my pussy.

This man's mouth was going to be the death of me. Oh, but what a way to go.

There was suddenly a tightening sensation in my body. I could feel a mind blowing orgasm making its way through my body. Then suddenly his body was no longer on mine.

"What in the hell are you doing?" I asked the labored breathing. Did he know what he was depriving me of?

"I will soon make you cum with my mouth, but first I want you to cum around my cock." He was removing his shirt and sleep pants as his said that.

When he was out of his pants I finally was able to see him in all of his glory. I moved my eyes from his chest slowly down to his…whoa.

Edward was packing. I don't think that thing is going to fit.

He must have seen the slight fear in my eyes because he just chuckled.

"Don't worry it will fit. I will give your body time to adjust before I fuck you so hard that you aren't going to be able to walk straight."

He lowered his body back on top of mine. His mouth was dominating my body. I soon lost touch with reality.

He lined himself up with my body and gently pushed himself in. We both released a moan. As promised though he was giving my body time to adjust and stretch to accommodate him. He would wait a couple seconds then move in a little more. There was a slight sting every time he did so, but it would slowly turn into pleasure.

"Shit Bella. You feel so good." His voice was muffled due to the fact that his face was buried in my neck. Every time he entered me a little more he would kiss my neck as if he was saying he was sorry.

Finally, he was fully sheathed inside me, our bodies pressed so closely together that you couldn't tell where one ended and the other started. The feeling was amazing. It felt like he belonged in me.

I moved my hips on instinct and once again we moaned in unison.

Edward started moving slowly in and out of my body, with every thrust in he would grind his hips into my clit and make me call out. He started to move faster and faster. I would lift my hips to meet every thrust.

"Oh, Edward! Don't Stop!" I wrapped my arms around his back and dug my nails in, trying to pull him closer.

"Your pussy is so tight. It feels so good."

Edward continued to thrust in and out of my while his mouth moved down to my breast. He must really like my breast.

"So close Bella." He moved his hand from my waist to my clit and started making quick circles with his thumb.

The pleasure I was getting from his mouth, thumb, and cock were too much. I felt that pressured feeling building back up. He released my breast from his mouth, but the pressured feeling was still there.

"That's it, Bella. Let your body find released." His thrusts were becoming quicker and his hand felt like it was moving at lightning speed.

I reached the edge of the world. My body wasn't going to last too much long.

"Oh. Shit. Yeah. EDWAR!" My orgasm hit me like a semi-truck. I pulled Edward body close to mine and a few seconds later I felt him release.

His groans were gibberish. He had a tight fist of my hair while his orgasm still rocked through his body. The feeling of him releasing himself inside me was…HOT.

"Bella, baby your pussy should be illegal." He finally said once we had both caught our breaths. He rolled off me and laid next to me in what had to be a king size bed.

I didn't know what to do now. I had given him my body and wasn't sure if he was the type to cuddle afterwards. I started to get up when he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to his body.

"Where do you think you are going?" He had that crooked grin plastered to his face, but there was a look in his eyes that I couldn't place.

"Why? You want to cuddle?"

"Yes actually." His face was completely serious. I guess that answered my question. I was glad because I like to cuddle after sex.

"Well, we girls have to pee after sex. It lowers the chance of a UTI." Why did I say that? Of all the things in the world I could have said, I choose that. Please, someone, shoot me.

"You are so cute when you blush." He released me from his hold "Just come back when you're done."

I went over to my clothes "Leave the clothes." He was with this dominance in his voice.

I started to walk to the door "Where are you going? There is a perfectly good bathroom in here."

"You don't honestly think I am going to let you listen to me pee, do you?" I rolled my eyes and walked to my room.

 _(The next morning)_

I woke up with Edwards arms wrapped around me. This was a feeling that I could get used to, but that I knew I shouldn't.

I went to get up but Edward simply tightened his arms around me.

"Why do you always want to move away from me when I'm not ready?" His voice was thick with sleep.

I chuckled.

"Not all of us own a business. I have to go to work."

"Just call in. You told me yourself when we first met that you don't really take time off."

"I can't just call out. I'm saving my time for a vacation I'm going to take one day."

"Where do you want to go?" I knew that he was trying to keep me in bed, but I never avoided the topic of travel.

"Paris is the goal."

"Even after the attack?" There wasn't an accusatory tone in his voice, just more curiosity.

"Of course. If I let fear keep me from living my life, I would never leave the house."

"I like the way you think Bella C-Swan."

"What were you about to call me?" I swear he was about to say a last name that started with a C.

"I wasn't about to call you anything besides your given name."

"Huh. Interesting."

We stayed silent for a minute enjoying the feel of each other's bodies.

"You need to release me. I don't like to be late for work." I said patting his arms.

"Fine." His had a childish tone to his voice.

I once again chuckled.

 _(At the office)_

I was practically running in. Edward had joined me in the shower, and what was supposed me be 30 minutes ended up taking an hour. Let me tell you that was the dirtiest shower I have ever taken…and I wouldn't mind doing it again.

"Hell must have frozen over because Bella Swan is running late." Rose had a smile plastered on her face.

"Let's not draw attention to it. You know management is started to get on people for being seconds late."

"Oh fuck them. They can shove their 28 seconds up there ass." She said while examining split ends of her hair. Being on time wasn't something that Rose cared too much for. This was a girl that knew the world would wait for her if she wanted it to.

"I wish I could live as carefree as you. Must be nice."

She looked up at me ready to have a smart ass remark but stopped. She was examining my face very closely, then suddenly she let out a loud gasp. Scaring my half to death.

"Oh. My. God. You got laid last night, and I don't mean some half decent dick, I mean you got some good lovin', body rockin', knockin boots Boys 2 Men style."

Hot. My face was red Hot. Instantly.

"Jesus Rose. Do you need to let the whole office know?" I was checking to make sure no one heard.

"That wasn't a denial. Holy crap, was it with Edward? Please tell me he is the one that placed that well-rested glow on your face." This girl knows no boundary.

"Yes, Rose. It was Edward."

"Was he good? Don't answer that. Of course, he was. If he wasn't you wouldn't be running in here late."

"Actually I woke up on time, but he decided to join me in the shower."

"Oh you dirty girl. I am so proud of you." She was now hugging me. Great.

"But to answer your question he is amazing. This guy has a direct line to my pussy. I swear every touch leaves me hotter and wetter than the last." Just thinking about it was turning me on.

"I know you don't kiss and tell, so I won't pressure you into telling me the details."

"Thank you." Ok. Maybe she knew some boundaries.

"But answer this one question."

I was now scared.

"Where does this leave you two?"

Shit. That was a good question. Where does this leave us?


	6. What's a party without a little drama?

Chapter 6

Ove the past week Edward and I have been getting to know each other on a very physical level. I come home from work and he is waiting for me. Ready to claim me once again.

I have been getting the feeling that this isn't just sex for him, but I don't want to look like a complete idiot and ask him that…well if I'm being completely honest I don't want my feelings hurt either.

One week, that's all it took for him to invade my every thought. I am constantly remembering the fire that takes over my body every time he touches me and not just while we are having sex, but during the post orgasmic bliss where he reaches over and pulls my closer to his body. Sometimes we talk about life and the things that interest us, and sometimes the only noise is his humming.

I have woken up to Edward beside me every day for the past week, and I'm starting to get used to it.

Which leads me to right now…

I am currently being woken up by the sweet kisses of Edward Cullen.

"Happy Birthday my beautiful girl." Edward whispers in my ear.

Yes, today is my birthday. The one day a year I let myself bask in the glory people shower me with.

"Thank you kind sir." I say with the biggest smile I can give.

That is another thing about Edward, he makes me smile. Alice and Rose have noticed and they give me this look that says "You are falling hard." Which is very true. Edward Cullen is taking me to the danger zone.

"How about we get your day started with a very sexy birthday celebration?" He says as he climbs on top of me and settles between my legs. He is slowly sliding his glorious cock along the folds of my entrance.

"That sounds absolutely perfect." I say while I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down for a kiss.

We are both going deeper and deeper into the king, our bodies heating up and hands starting to roam. I swear there is no better feeling than this man touching me. I feel the familiar fire come over me the more he touches me.

I feel Edward growing harder by the second. I know the only reason why our bodies aren't completely joined yet is because he wants to get me on the brink of an orgasm right before he enters me.

He hands make their way down my body, when suddenly…

 _RING! RING!_

Oh, you have got to be kidding me!

I look at the caller ID.

 _Alice_ is the name that is shining brightly on my screen. This girl is the ultimate cockblocker.

"Don't answer it." Edwards's sex voice is prominent but I can sense a little hesitation.

"I have to," I said. I really hope he can hear the extreme disappointment in my voice. I mean I wanted the birthday celebration we were going to have just as much as he did.

"Mary Alice Brandon, what do you want?"

"What got you in a bad mood? Is Edward not giving you the goods anymore?" Yeah, Alice knows about my recent sexcapades.

"The exact opposite. I was about to get the goods when you called."

She was now laughing. I knew she found pleasure in my pain.

"Well too bad. Tell Edward I had plans with you first. He will just need to wait until tonight after your party." She did have a point there. We had made plans a long time ago to spend all day together and then get ready at Rose's place for the party tonight.

"Whatever Alice. What time are you going to be here?" I asked rolling my eyes.

"I will give you thirty minutes to get ready."

"Ugh! Fine." I said then hung up the phone.

At this moment I noticed that Edward was still resting in between my legs. He was giving me the full force of his wild green eyes. "Don't look at me like that. She had dibs on me first. You can have me all to yourself tonight after my party."

I pushed on his shoulder and he rolled off me. He no longer looked irritated, just determined. I know that look very well.

"OUT!" I yelled "Get out of my room right now. I only have thirty minutes to get ready."

I was pulling him out of my bed and walking him to my bedroom door. There is no way that he is going to be distracting me with all his beauty. I need to get ready or Alice will kill me.

I pushed him into the hallway and made my way to his close in the corner of my room. Once collected I walked back to the door and handed them to him. He was now giving me puppy dog eyes. Oh no. I can't get sucked in by the puppy dog eyes.

I slammed the door and locked it. Whew. That was a close one.

"This isn't over Swan!" He yelled from the hallway.

"I'm not expecting it to be Cullen!" I yelled back.

Now time to get ready for the day.

 _(That evening at Rosalie's Apartment)_

After being poked, prodded, plucked and rubbed down all day it was now time to get ready. I still hadn't seen this dress that Alice and Rosalie had been going on about for months. This dress was an Alice original. She wanted to make sure that no girl in the world was going to be in the same dress as me on this night…her words not mine.

My hair was done in loose curls draped to the side with an extravagant Swarovski Peacock hair clip holding it in place. The green and blue colored stone shine brightly in the light. My makeup was noticeable but not overpowering.

I noticed the garment bag hanging on the back of Rose's bedroom door. I was terrified of what could be in that bag. I mean we are talking about Alice. She seems to forget that some of us actually like to wear clothes that cover the goods.

"Are you ready to see the dress?" Alice asked practically jumping where she stood across the room.

"That depends on how tiny the dress is," I responded.

She rolled her eyes and walked over to the dress. She pulled down the zipper and revealed the dress.

Holy. Crap.

To say that this dress was gorgeous would be an understatement. I'm not talking gorgeous in the obvious glitz and glamor type of why. I mean that this dress was gorgeous in the way that makes a woman feel like a woman. It would show her curves to the world but also add a little mystery.

Once I had the dress on all I could do was stare at myself in the mirror. The top layer of the dress was a sheer navy blue that had peacock feathers gathered on the bottom, and under the layer of blue was a skin tight forest green. The dress hung off my shoulders with long sleeves made of the same blue and green material. Oh, and the girls were on full display.

I was right. In this dress, I felt like a woman. I was embracing all the sexiness that Mother Nature had given to me. For the first time in a long time, I was accepting my curves. I was ready to proudly put them on display for the world to see.

"You have outdone yourself, this time, Alice. This dress is amazing." I said in almost disbelief.

"Don't say it like you're shocked. I am a fashion genius." She said rolling her eyes.

She did have a point there.

"Now it's time for your least favorite part," Alice said walking over to where I was standing in front of the window.

"Alice this whole day was my least favorite part."

"True but this is a part that could end in serious injury by the end of the night."

She was in front of my holding death traps. Heels. They are my worst nightmare. For someone who has spent the better part of their life either in the ER or on their ass, heels are something that I should be wearing. I mean I'm pretty sure my parent's insurance companies have my clumsiness as a Preexisting Condition.

"Alice if I wear those things tonight an injury is the least that could happen. I could die wearing those, or even worse I could kill someone wearing those." I said giving the demonic heels a mean look.

"I know that I am putting the fate of humanity in your tiny butter-finger hands, but these shoes complete the outfit." She said shoving the shoes closer to me. I could tell that she wasn't going to back down.

"Fine, but just remember if this causes the fall of humanity it will be your fault." Then I turned around and pointed at Rose "That includes you."

"Hey! How did I get dragged into this?" She said with her hands up in the air.

"You are guilty by association," I said snatching the shoes our of Alice's hand.

Time to get this death traps on.

 _(At the club)_

The club was packed tonight. The music immediately made me start swaying my hips. I could feel the bass vibrate through my body. I could already sense that tonight was going to end on a very high note.

I was looking at the crowd of bodies grinding on each other. The more I watched the more I wanted to dance. It was almost like their movement was contagious. Then suddenly I felt like someone was watching me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and my skin broke out in goosebumps. Almost like when…

"It looks like Edward is a predator tonight and you are his prey," Rose said then nudged me.

I looked up to where she was pointing and there he was, on the balcony overlooking the dance floor. Edward was watching me like a hawk. Once our eye connected it was almost impossible to look away, not that I wanted to.

We made our way over to the stairs and climbed them carefully. Once we reached the top I was pulled into Edwards' arms and locked in a demanding kiss. For a second my knees got weak, but Edward just held me tighter. He would never let me fall.

Once we separated I had to collect myself. The music sounded distant and the crowded room seemed empty. My breathing was a little erratic and my heart was about to pound through my chest. I'm pretty sure what he did to my body wasn't healthy.

"Happy Birthday. You look absolutely stunning tonight." He said looking me in the eyes. He had this absolutely intense look in his eyes that said what his lips couldn't. We were both falling for each other. Hard.

"Thank you. This is all thanks to Alice." I said waving my hands over my body.

"No, it's not. You always had this beauty, she just shined a spotlight on it." Was his response.

"He is right." I heard a booming voice next to me.

I look over and see Emmett. I hadn't seen him since the day I moved in. It was nice to see him here.

"Hey, Emmett. I didn't know you were going to be here."

"Well, I tend to frequent the place, you know since I'm the owner." He said with a gigantic smile on his face.

"What? You own Midnight Moon?" This was shocking.

"Well it's a family business, but I'm the primary."

That makes a little more sense.

"When I heard that you were having your party here I had it moved up to the VIP area. Don't worry about the bill it's on me. Consider this my birthday present to you." He said leaning in to give be a hug.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it." I said pulling back to look at him. Only his eyes were fixated on something behind me.

I turned around and noticed that my bombshell of a friend Rose was standing right behind me. She was also drooling over Emmett. Once again this was someone that had never given a guy more than twelve hours of her time. She didn't drool over anyone.

Neither one of them were moving or saying anything. It was so weird. I had never known Rose to go speechless over any guy. I guess I would need to speak for them.

"Emmett this is my friend Rosalie. Rose this is Emmett, Edwards's brother."

Emmett gently pushed me out of the way but in these heels, I was already unsteady. I was losing my balance when Edward grabbed me around the waist and pulled me close to him again. Once again saving me from a fall.

"Do you want to dance?" He whispered in my ear.

"With you? Yes."

He grabbed my hand and took me down to the dance floor. Once we were situated in the middle of the sea of bodies he pulled my hips close to his. Once again I could feel the bass moving through my body, but then it would move to his and back to mine. It was like a transference of energy. Our hips swayed in sync to the music, our heart rates climbing with every move we made. His hands were placed on my hips and holding onto me for dear life it almost felt like. The world around me was melting away. The music was getting further and further away from us, people started disappearing around me. The less disconnected I became with the world the more hyper-aware I was of Edward.

His lips were on my neck marking me. I reached around and buried my hands in his hair. The amazing feeling of his lips on my skin was something that I would never forget or get over.

I pulled back and turned around in his arms. My back was now against the front of his body. Our bodies were still moving to the music, but I noticed that the song had changed. How many songs had gone by while we were wrapped in our own little world?

I could stay like this with him forever and never get tired of it.

"I think our friends need us," Edward said.

I looked up and saw Alice waving her arms trying to get our attention. Something was going on up there.

We made our way through the hoard of people and up the stairs. The atmosphere changed immediately once we reached the top. The party vibe that we left was no longer there. Now there was tension in the air. What had happened?

"Nice show Bella. I thought I was the only one that could get your body to respond like that? Well, I guess I was wrong. Has someone taken my spot in your bed?" Said a deep voice from behind me.

Shit. Jacob.

What's a party without a little drama?


	7. Why Charlie? Why?

**AN: Hey everyone. I just wanted to let you know that there is a lemon ahead, it's at the end of this chapter.**

 **My inspiration for the lemon was the song** _ **Some kind of Drug By G-Eazy.**_ **If you have never listened to that son I highly recommend it.**

 **It might be a while before I can update again because I work this coming weekend. Sorry.**

 **Let me know what you think of this chapter. I love reading your comments they are always fun and encouraging.**

 **And now chapter 7…**

Chapter 7

Jacob and I were childhood friends. Our fathers grew up together and still are the best of friends to this day. Growing up, Jacob and I were forced to go fishing with my dad and Billy. We got along well but weren't really too close.

It wasn't until sophomore year of high school that Jacob and I started getting physical. It started with swift touches and hesitant kisses, then escalated to groping and heavy make-out sessions in the back of his car (I know super cliché), then one night at a party during our Senior year he popped my cherry is some random upstairs room.

It was your typical high school romance that ended with me catching him sleeping with my Ex-best friend Jessica. I was heartbroken at first not wanting to go to school and see them together, then I got angry and wanted revenge. Which I ended up getting by sleeping with his best friend Paul. Worst 5 minutes of my life, but it worked. Of course, Paul couldn't keep his mouth shut and spilled all the beans to Jacob thinking he wouldn't care.

Three broken ribs, a broken nose, a dislocated shoulder, and a bruised ego proved him wrong. Jacob came to my house and practically begged me to take him back.

Can you guess what I did? If your guess was that I told him to fuck off and never speak to me again, you would be wrong. My dumbass took him back without a second thought.

I plead insanity for the next year that was to follow that decision.

Within that year I met Alice and she tried to get me to leave him multiple times, but every time I was about to break up with him he would give me some story about how much he loved me and needed me. Like an idiot I believed him every time.

I was used and taken for granted every day of that year. One day I finally looked in the mirror and realized that I was nothing but a shell of the person I was before I got into this whole mess. The happiness I once felt had been slowly sucked out of my life. I was only with Jacob because I was in love with the idea and being in love. My feelings had once again ignored the facts that my mind and friends had been trying to show me.

That day I ran to Alice's house and cried my eyes out. We sat there for hours while I just cried, once I no longer had any more tears I begged for her forgiveness first, then I begged for her help. She helped me pack my clothes and I left. I changed my phone number, blocked him on Facebook, changed my Netflix password, and burned every photo I had of him.

It has taken me two years to get to where I am now. Happy with the way my life is now and ready to trust again, but this time I would listen to my friends.

Speaking of…

"What the fuck are you doing here Jacob?" Alice said. She hated him more than I did. like I said Alice was in the trenches with me through the whole Jacob thing.

"Holy shit. This is the Jacob you were telling me about?" Rose said standing up from the couch she cuddled up on with Emmett.

"Yeah. This is the asshole that took a year of my life." I said crossing my arms over my chest.

"If I'm not mistaken, you gladly gave me that year of your life along with your body," Jacob said with a smug look on his face. Clearly, my misery meant nothing to him. All he wanted was my body.

"Answer the ladies question asshole, what are you doing here?" Edward made himself known at that moment. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him.

"Well I had and interesting conversation with Charlie. He told me that you were having your party here and that you had met yourself a new guy. You know how I get when someone else touches what's mine."

Damn it Charlie!

"Yours? I don't think so. Last I checked it isn't your name that she moans every night. Baby, can you remind me of whose name it is?" I like cocky possessive Edward.

"Yours," I said without missing a beat.

"That's right." He said while kissing my neck and unwinding his arms from around my waist "It's my name that you scream as I reach new depths of your body." Then he started to walk over to where Jacob stood. This was a different Edward, it was almost like a switch had flipped. Gone was the warm and caring man that I have come to know. He was cool, calm, and collected but in a way that said 'don't fuck with me.' He walked with a different kind of swagger.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Emmett had moved Rose so that he was guarding her, his facial expression was cold and scary. Jasper had placed Alice next to Rose and was standing by Emmett. Edward looked back and me and nodded for me to stand next to Rose and Alice. I moved without hesitation.

Shit was about to go down.

"You have 10 seconds to get the fuck out of my brother's club, or I will personally remove you." Edward's voice matched his cold demeanor.

Even without the emotion I was used to him showing, he was still sexy as ever.

"I'm not leaving this club without what is mine," Jacob said. obviously, he didn't understand his odds very well, math wasn't my strong suit either in school but I know that 3-to-1 odds weren't exactly ideal in a fight.

Jacob was now staring at me and I guess Edward didn't like that because the next thing I know Edward had his hands around Jacob's neck.

"Why the fuck are you looking at my girl? Huh? Didn't we already establish that she isn't yours?" Edward releases his hold on Jacob's neck and punches his square in the jaw.

The two of them are like animals battling for dominance. The sounds of a closed fist connecting with a hard jaw, or someone getting the air knocked out of them quickly overtook the VIP area. Edward gets the upper hand on Jacob and pinned him to the ground. His fists are continuously connecting with Jacob's face, his hands are bloody and his face is full of rage. Emmett and Jasper try to pull Edward off of Jacob, but he fights them with every attempt. Finally, they are able to pull him off of Jacob, but that only stops his punches. He is now kicking Jacob in the ribs once, twice, three times. He finally stops and grabs a towel from the bartender.

He casually wipes the blood off his hands "Get this piece of shit out of the club!" he yells at the bouncers.

"Take him out the back." Emmett orders. The bouncers nod and pick Jacob up. It takes both of them because he is a big boy.

Edward currently has both hands on the bar and his head down. I start to make my way over to him but Emmett grabs me.

"Give him a couple minutes. He needs to center himself again." It sounds like this happens often.

The room was silent for a couple of minutes. Edwards lets out a deep breath and Emmett releases my arm.

I slowly make my way over to Edward. I place my hand on his back and his muscles tense up, but I don't remove my hand. I slide both arms around him and lay my head on his back. I feel his muscles relax. He lets out another deep breath. I loosen my hold on him and he turns around. The look that is on his face almost looks painful.

"Whatever you are thinking, stop it," I said placing my hands on his face. I reach up and kiss him.

"You must think I'm a monster. I never wanted you to see that side of me." He hasn't made eye contact with me.

"Edward look at me," nothing "Look at me!" I say with more severity in my voice. He finally does, but his green eyes hold nothing but remorse "Jacob had that coming. After the things he put me through and the way he hurt me, he deserves far worse than that beating you just gave him." I said kissing him again.

"Well I don't know about y'all, but after that, I am a little hungry." Emmett boomed from behind us.

I started laughing. "Who is in the mood for Mexican?" I said still looking in Edward's eyes. He smiles a little and raises his hand.

I turn around and see that everyone is in agreeance.

We made our way outside and loaded up. We were going to our favorite spot. California Burrito.

 _(At the restaurant)_

This place had the best Carne Asada fries. I was in love with them. The girls and I come to this place all the time. Most of the time it is late at night because the place was open 24 hours and there isn't anything better than tacos at 2 AM.

Once we had our food the group fell silent for a short while. You could tell that the question was just hanging in everyone's mind, but no one wanted to ask it.

"Alright, since the rest of you are going to act like you aren't curious. I will ask the question for you. Who the hell is Jacob?" Emmett said.

We all stopped eating and everyone was looking at me and Alice.

"You need to tell them, Bella. You do it or I will." She said crossing her arms over her chest.

So I went and told them everything about Jacob. Rose knew most of it, but there were some details she hadn't heard before.

"You are right. He deserves way worse than what Edward gave to him." Emmett said with his fist balled on top of the table.

"Why would you be with someone like that? We may not hang out that much, but from what I can tell you are one of the kindest people I have ever met." Jasper spoke up.

"I honestly can't tell you what I was thinking. Like I said I was so in love with the idea of love, that I put myself in that situation." I said looking down at my hands. Shame is something that I haven't felt in a while, but I was feeling it now.

"There is no need to feel shameful of the choices you made Bella," Rose reached across the table and held my hand "You know I understand what you were feeling. Sometimes we have to go through situations like that in order to get to the next part of our life." Rose had dropped the flawless and untouchable act and was showing her emotions, which is something she rarely did. She was right, she understood better than anyone would. She has been through her own relationship issues.

"I know I shouldn't be, but I am. Alice told me for months to drop Jacob and I didn't listen. It took for my soul to be damn near hallowed out in order for me to see that I was in a toxic relationship." I said feeling tears form in my eyes and spill onto my cheeks.

I felt Edward wrap his arm around my waist and pull me closer to him. He still hadn't said anything, but that one action made me feel better.

"Let's not think about the past anymore. Let's enjoy the rest of our food and go home to sleep." Alice spoke up. Always trying to infuse positivity into any situation.

"Agreed," Emmett started lifting his Taco to his mouth.

 _(At the house)_

Edward hadn't said anything the entire care ride to the house, he didn't even look at me while we were eating. The only reassurance I had was his hand resting on my thigh (which turned me on a little) as we made our way home. He must think I am weak and stupid for falling for a guy like Jacob. This would probably the last few moments we have together.

We entered the house and I made my way up the stairs and to my room. The silence was deafening. As I was about to open my bedroom door Edward grabbed my arm and pulled me into his room. Once the door was closed he pushed me against it and started kissing me in the most fantastic and dominating fashion. I didn't fight him this time, I simply gave in. I knew that he must have needed it from the grip that he had on my waist.

Suddenly his hand was on the back of my dress unzipping it and pushing it off my shoulders, down my waist, and off my hips where it pooled at my feet. I was becoming disoriented from this kiss. I needed air.

He must have felt the same way because he moved his kiss to my neck. His hands moved to the top of my panties and were sliding them down my legs slowly. As he did this he kissed every inch of my body that he possible reach in that moment. My hands moved to his hair and I gently tugged on it. He looked up at me and leaned in to kiss my lady bits.

"Oh!" That one movement sent me over the edge. The way he made my body react was something addictive.

"Absolutely perfect," Edward said.

While I was in this lust filled head Edward removed his clothes. He lifted me up and automatically I wrapped my legs around his waist. He pressed my back against the door more and entered my body. The fire that erupted was overwhelming, and that was before he started moving.

His body touching mine, the feeling of his lips claiming mine, our bodies connected in a way that wasn't just physical. It was almost like we were sharing parts of our soul with each other. This was unlike anything I had ever experience before. This was different from all the other times we have had sex. This was more than that.

"Your." _Thrust_ "Body." _Thrust_ "Is." _Thrust_ "MINE." Thrust.

"Yes!" is what I could manage. He hitting spots that I didn't know existed. Every time we were together I learned something new about my body.

"Say it Bella." His thrusts were becoming more erratic "I need you to say it."

The familiar pressure was building up in my body, but this time, there was more of a force behind it.

"Yours Edward. I'm all yours." I moaned out.

He reached in between us and touched my clit. In that moment I lost all touch with reality. My body exploded. I held Edward close scream his name for all to hear.

 _(Later that night)_

We were lying in bed just staring at each other. His fingers were moving up and down my spine in light motions that were relaxing.

"What happened earlier this evening? I thought I lost you there for a moment." I asked.

"Once I snapped out of the rage that took over my body, I thought that you wouldn't want anything to do with me. You would think that I was a monster."

"I could never think that Edward. The way that you treat me when we are together, I know that you would never hurt me." I reached over and caressed his cheek.

"It's true. I could never hurt you, physically or emotionally. You are it for me, Bella. There will never be another woman for me." The emotion that was in his eye made my breath catch. So he did feel the same way about me.

"Good, because I'm pretty sure you have ruined me for all guys," I said with a smirk on my face.

Edward leaned in to kiss me.

"You know that you only pissed Jacob off? He will be back." Edward needed to know this.

"That's fine. You let me worry about him. You need to talk to your father. Make sure he doesn't share any more information with him, though." Edward said flatly.

"I will talk to him tomorrow. Promise."

Edward turned off the light and pulled me closer to him.

That was going to be an awkward conversation with my dad tomorrow.

Why Charlie? Why?


	8. Why do things have to be so difficult?

Chapter 8

You know how you plan a conversation in your head but the other person doesn't follow the script, so you have to improvise and the conversation goes straight to the pits of hell. Yeah, that happened to me when I spoke with my dad. The conversation was supposed to be simple and sweet. It was supposed to go a little something like this:

 _Phone: RING RING_

 _Charlie: "Hey Bells! How are you doing?"_

 _Me: "Great dad. I was wondering if I could talk to you about Jacob."_

 _Charlie: "Yeah sure. What's going on?"_

 _Me: "Well, he showed up at my birthday party and caused some trouble. He said that he heard about it from you."_

 _Charlie: "Yeah that's true. He said you hadn't spoken in a while and that he missed you."_

 _Me: "We haven't spoken in a while because he treated me like crap and broke my heart. I don't want him in my life. I would really appreciate it if you didn't tell him any more information about me. Don't even say anything to Billy. If they ask how I'm doing just say I'm fine and move on."_

 _Charlie: "I had no clue. Of course, I won't say anything, you are my daughter."_

Then we would go on about how life was, I would promise to come him see him over the weekend and everything would be fine. Of course, it couldn't work out that way. Here is how the conversation actually happened:

 **RING RING**

" **Hey, Bells! How are you doing?"**

" **Great dad. I was wondering if I could talk to you about Jacob."**

 _Silence_

Why is he silent? The silence wasn't part of the script.

" **Dad?"**

" **Sorry Bells. Yeah, sure. What's going on?"**

Good, we are back on track.

" **Well, he showed up at my birthday party and caused some trouble. He said that he heard about it from you."**

" **Yeah, that's true. He said that he wanted to make amends with you for what happened when you were together."**

WHAT? Charlie knows what happened?

" **You knew?"** The shock had to be evident in my voice, I also hope he caught the hint of betrayal that I was feeling.

" **Of course I knew. He told Billy and Billy told me. I am actually shocked that you didn't say anything to me."**

" **Why did you tell him about my party? Or about me and Edward?"** The feeling of betrayal was starting to grow.

" **Because you aren't supposed to be with Edward. You are supposed to end up with Jacob."**

There was a hint of irritation in his voice.

" **Trust me Jacob is the last person you should want me with. He broke my heart and sent me down a dark and lonely path. I am just getting to the point where I am willing to let people in. I don't want to go down that path again."**

He wasn't the only one feeling irritation. This wasn't how the conversation was supposed to go. He was supposed to me on my side.

" **Jacob was young and didn't know what his actions were doing. You have to give him another chance."**

Why is he defending a monster like Jacob? I know that he and Billy are BFF's, but I'm his daughter. He should want to protect me.

" **I don't have to do anything. You should just take my word for it and never speak of me to Billy or Jacob again."**

I was trying to be strong but inside I was hurting. My own father has betrayed me. How could he do this to me?

" **Bella if you want what's best for this family, you WILL give Jacob another chance."**

He wasn't just saying this for shit's and giggles. My dad was _demanding_ that I let the man that emotionally abused me to have another change. Not only that but it sounds like he promised me to Jacob. What the hell?

" **What the hell does that mean? What did you do? TELL ME DAD! WHAT IN THE HELL DI-"**

" **ISABELLA MARIE SWAN! LOWER YOUR TONE and don't you EVER question me again."**

There were only a few times that Charlie had yelled at me. Each time struck the fear of God into my body. This time I didn't feel fear, I felt pain and sadness. I was losing my dad, and for a reason that I didn't even know of.

" **Dad I'm sorry. Just please tell me what you mean."**

 **BEEP**

I look at the screen and find it flashing "call ended".

What in the hell just happened? Why would Jacob and I being together be for the better of the family? What did Charlie do? What did Jacob do to Charlie?

I left that conversation with more questions than I had when I called him. This is why people need to follow the script, it would have been so much simpler.

My father was the good parent. He was there for me when Renee left once I turned three. She left without telling anyone why or even saying goodbye to me. He was supposed to protect me from anything and everything, and now he is trying to serve me up on a silver platter to the guy that broke my heart.

"BELLA!" I hear yelled from me behind me. The noise made me jump from where I was sitting and spin around.

Edward. I was not ready to deal with him, not after that conversation.

"Holy Bananas! You scared me half to death Edward."

I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. I'm pretty sure my heart is about to pound right out of my double D chest.

"I'm sorry. I called you about three times, but you were so far into your thoughts that you didn't hear me. Are you alright?" The look in his eyes said that he knew the answer but was waiting for me to say something.

There are two ways that I could go about this. 1.) I could try to lie (even though I'm horrible at it) and tell him about the conversation once I have more information. 2.) I could tell him the truth and try to calm down sexy angry Edward.

Which will I go with?

"Bella. Tell me what going on." His voice is sterner this time.

"I spoke with Charlie." I blurted out before thinking. The truth it is I guess.

"I'm guessing that it didn't go too well."

"That's an understatement," I say rolling my eyes.

"What did he say?"

Edward walks over to the chair I was just sitting in and takes a seat and brings me to sit on his lap.

"He knows about everything that Jacob did to me, but he still wants me to get back together with him. He actually demanded it." I said still in disbelief "His words were 'if I wanted what was best for the family' what do you think he meant by that?"

"Surly he doesn't actually want you with that pompous jerk.? No father should want that for their daughter." He voice was getting that tinge of anger that it had last night.

At that point, I proceeded to tell Edward about the conversation that I had with my dad. To say that he wasn't happy would be putting it lightly.

"Charlie is a coward if he won't protect you from Jacob," Edward said slamming his hand on the glass table making it shake.

"Edward calm down. I will get this worked out. I will give my dad some time to think about our conversation and talk to him later."

"NO! You will not do that. Clearly, he doesn't want what is best for you." He said gently transferring me to sit in the chair. I could tell that this action took great control.

He was now pacing the room and mumbling under his breath.

"Edward I know that this situation isn't ideal, but he is still my father. Charlie is a sensible man, I'm sure that I will be able to reason with him." I was trying to keep my voice calm, but I was freaking out just as much as him.

"You already spoke with him Bella, and look where that got you. There is clearly something deeper going on, and he isn't willing to give you all the information." He was tugging at his hair even more. I'm pretty sure that there were going to be patches missing.

"Edward please calm down. We will figure this out." My heart was racing and my head was starting to hurt. I hadn't really processed the conversation I had with my dad before jumping into this one.

"NO!" Edward yelled. Then he swung around and connected his fist with the wall…three times.

The action froze me in my place, for fear that sudden movement would make him snap again.

Edward turned around and looked at me was crazed emerald eyes and even wilder hair than usual. After a few seconds, he left the dining room, after another couple of seconds I heard the front door open and slam shut.

That was over an hour ago and Edward still hadn't come back.

I called Emmett and told him what happened. He told me to stay at the house and that he would go searching for Edward.

I waited for another 2 hours but neither of them came through the door. I was starting to get worried. What if something happened to either of them? This wasn't good.

I called Rose, she hadn't heard from them.

I called Alice and she said that Jasper had gotten a call from Emmett and left. This was only starting to worry me more. What was going on?

I paced in the living room and tried to get my mind off of the current situation. I decided the only thing that would help and a nice warm bath.

For a while the bath did help. I was able to loosen the tension that had built up due to the events that had transpired tonight.

I looked at the clock on the wall and found that it was almost midnight. I had been in the bath for an hour and a half. I still hadn't heard the front door open.

I guess I will be sleeping by myself tonight. I didn't even realize until now how accustomed to sleeping with Edward I had become.

I wrap myself in a towel and make my way out to my bedroom to get dressed. I notice the green flashing light on my phone alerting me to a message. I rush over to it and see if it's Edward.

 _ **Staying the night at Emmett's house tonight. Sorry to worry you. – E**_

Well, at least I know that he is safe. I honestly need to ask about that temper of his. No matter how sexy I think it is, I need to know if that is going to be an issue in the future. I know that he said that he would never be able to hurt me, but I'm pretty sure that Daedalus didn't build the wings with the intent of Icarus dying. Yeah, I like Greek Mythology, sue me.

I got dressed and lay in bed hoping that sleep will find me.

( _A couple hours later)_

I have been tossing and turning for the past two hours and haven't been able to find sleep.

I get up out of bed and go across the hall to Edwards's room.

As I lay down in his bed and get comfy under his covers, the smell of the man I lo- whoa…that was a close one. I can't have those feelings for him. Not yet at least.

I deeply care for him, but the "L" word shall not grace my mind or lips for a very long time.

I slowly feel myself slipping into the land of slumber, then suddenly I am engulfed in sleep.

( _Morning time)_

I wake up to the scent off Edward wrapped around me and the warmth of his body against my back. I wonder when he came home. Should I be mad at him for just storming out? A part of me wants to be mad, but the other part is understanding of his anger.

To find out that your girlfriend's father could have potentially promised her to another guy and that guy just so happens to be absolutely crazy with a hint of an emotional abuser, would piss any person off. But that doesn't give him the right to scare the crap out of by throwing rage filled punches at the wall then walking out.

I wiggle out of the hold that he had me in and get up to go to my room. I really need time to think about this.

That's fair, right?

I did just have a bomb dropped on me by my father, the last thing I need is a guy with an extremely dark side. I have been down that road before I don't want to go down it again. I promised myself that I wouldn't go down it again. For crying out loud, I just got to a good place in life.

I know exactly what I need.

I pick up my phone and send out a group message to Rose and Alice.

 _ **Can we have a girl's day? I need you! –B**_

Not even thirty seconds later there are two pings.

 _ **Schedule has been cleared! I will be by in 30 mins. – A**_

 _ **I'm calling in. Alice pick me up after Bella. –R**_

I love my friends.

I dial the sick line from work, take a quick shower and get ready.

As I'm walking towards the door I see Edward sitting in the living room.

"Are we going to talk about this?" Edward asks with his head down.

"No. I am going to spend time with my friends." My voice was giving off the façade of confidence that I really didn't have. In reality, it would just take one touch from this man and I would be stuck in this house all day.

He got up from his seat and was walking toward me. His eyes were giving off a look of brokenness and his shoulders slightly slumped. I wanted to give him a hug and let him know that we could talk about it later, but honestly, I didn't want to talk about it later. That would be me giving into him and I needed to stand my ground. I could let another guy walk all over me.

"Please Bella, I can explain my violent outburst and why I walked out last night. I just need you to give me a chance to explain." He reached for my arm and I pulled it away.

"Don't touch me right now. Just give me some time to clear my head."

At that moment my phone buzzed.

 _ **HERE! – A**_

I walked down the steps and out the door.

Why do things have to be so difficult?


	9. Does this mean we are Official?

Chapter 9

Walking out on Edward was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. No matter how hard I want to deny it, I have feelings for him…strong feelings. I wasn't even looking for something like this to happen. I was simply going to admire from afar, but I guess that wasn't in the cards.

I think that is why I am fighting it so hard. I wasn't emotionally prepared for anything like this to happen. I was fine with staying single and loving it as best I could.

I let out a deep sigh as I continue to try and accept the fact that I am quickly falling for Edward Cullen.

"What's going on in that head of your?" Alice says from beside me. She is one of the few people that can read me like a book.

"I'm falling hard for Edward," I state. There is no reason covering it up.

"Well yeah, and he has feeling for you. Anyone could see that without knowing the situation, but what else are you thinking?"

"I don't know if I can do this again. I was just getting to a good place then Edward comes into my life. Why can't I have a simple love life?" I say leaning my head on the window, watching as the city passes by at high speed.

"If love was easy everyone would have it, sweetie," Alice said.

"Yeah, besides what makes you think that it's going to end like Jacob?" Rosalie says from the backseat.

At that question, I start to explain the conversation I had with Charlie and the outburst that Edward had one I told him about it. There was silent in the car for a few minutes. I kind of expected that because nothing about the situation was normal.

"We need tacos." Alice simply says.

 _(At the restaurant)_

"I don't know what it is about Carne Asada tacos, but they help make sense of difficult situations," Rose says as she takes a bite of her 3rd taco.

"TRUTH!" Alice and I say at the same time.

"What you said in the car makes it sound like Charlie knew about the whole Jacob thing, and still wants you to get back together with him," Rose stated.

"He more like demanded that we get back together," I say around a mouth full of food.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Alice says raising her voice a little "Not cool Charlie. Not cool at all." She says shaking her head. Alice and my dad had a special relationship. He treats her like another daughter and was always happy to have her over the house for Holiday's whenever Alice didn't feel like flying home.

"After you told Edward about this, he went all "Hulk Smash' and put his fists through the walls?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," I said nodding my head.

"Well, I can see why you didn't want to be around him today," Alice said and Rose nodded her head in agreement.

"Maybe I should talk to Charlie. Tell him my story about arranged marriage. That should scare any father into letting their daughter choose who they spend the rest of their life with." Rose said with a blank look on her face.

She has been through some things. My relationship with Jacob was nothing compared to what the monster she was with did to her.

"I don't think it has come to that. I think that I may be able to talk him out of whatever arrangement he thinks he has with the Blacks."

While we continued to eat I couldn't help but wonder what kind of arrangement Charlie had worked out with Billy and why he didn't tell me prior to last night. I always thought that we were really close.

I remember when I was little going on "Adventures" with him. We would always go to Downtown Seattle, which wasn't a big deal to most people, but to me it felt like we were going across the country. I know that nothing would ever happen to me because my dad was with me. He was a superhero or a rock star to me, and no one could ever tell me different. That is why this is extremely shocking to me. I never would've thought that my dad would put me in a situation that could cause me any sort of pain.

"Everything is going to be alright, Bella. You know that right? We would never let anything happen to you." Rosalie stated. The sincerity that was in her voice and the look of determination in her eyes was all the proof that I needed. I know that Rose is fiercely protective of those she cares about, and I was no exception to that rule.

I nodded my head and looked down at my empty plate. At this moment I felt a pang of sadness because the delicious tacos that had once made all problem seem minor, were no longer there to offer their comfort. I looked at Alice and stuck my lip out in a pout.

"You want more?" she asked in disbelief.

I nodded my head and forcefully made my lip quiver.

"Oh come on Bella, that isn't even fair." I knew that she couldn't resist this look much longer.

"FINE!" she yelled getting up "Don't ever say that I never did anything for you." She stomped towards the counter.

"You two are so adorable," Rose said with a slight chuckle.

I don't feel too bad about using the pout on Alice, she would've done the same thing to me, and like her, I wouldn't be able to resist.

After a few minutes, she walks back over and hands me the container.

"Here you sick freak. Now let's get you home." She says grabbing her jacket.

( _At the house)_

I'm currently sitting in Alice's car looking at the house, trying to get the courage to go inside the house. My fear is starting to take over my body, I know that putting forth any effort means that I am accepting the fact that Edward has found his way into my heart. I don't know if I can handle that again.

"He isn't Jacob, Bella. He really does care about you." Rosalie speaks from the back seat.

"I know, but I'm still scared shitless."

"We know, it isn't easy putting yourself out there after being hurt the way you were. Trust me it will get better." she says putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder "I would say be a hoe for a while like I did, but that isn't you."

I chuckled a little at that. She was right, I wasn't made for that. That's was probably part of my problem, I entered this arrangement with Edward thinking that we could just be friends with benefits, but I'm not the type to give my body to someone without giving them my heart also.

I took a deep breath and opened the car door. I got out and made my way up to the door as Alice backed her car out of the driveway.

Keys in hand I reached for the lock but paused. I don't know why I paused, but I did. There was a feeling deep down inside that told me to turn around. As I did I got the biggest shock of my life, to date at least. There in all his disgusting smugness was Jacob, leaning against his car watching me. I don't know how long he had been there for. I didn't see Edwards's car in the driveway, which meant that I was completely alone.

My flight instincts took over. I started rustling with my keys and tried to get them in the lock, without having to turn my back completely towards Jacob. It felt like I was a child trying to lick my elbow.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him walking towards me. I finally gave up on the keys and reached in my purse and was hoping that I remembered to put my knife back in there, no luck. I started to search for my taser, nothing again. What the hell?

I placed my back against the door and was ready to put up a fight, when the door swung open and Edward walked out pushing me behind him.

"Unless you want your ass kicked again, you should get off my property." He said. I could see that all the muscles in his back were tense and ready to pounce and unleash all their strength on Jacobs' face.

Jacob stopped in his tracks and just stared past Edward and directly into my eyes.

"There is nowhere you can go where I won't find you," Jacob said with a dark spark in his eyes.

"You might find her, but you will have to kill me to get to her," Edward said with conviction in his voice.

"That can be arranged, pretty boy," Jacob said making eye contact with Edward for the first time.

"Check who you are talking to, mutt."

It went silent while they had a staring contest. Finally, Jacob started backing up and making his way back to his car.

Once he was inside and driving away Edward turned around and closed the door behind him. Without saying anything he grabbed each side of my face and pulled me in for and kiss full of want and dominance. When he finally separated he leaned his forehead against mine and rubbed his thumbs against my cheeks.

"I'm sorry." He said.

I pulled away and see that his eyes were closed tight and his head was down.

"Let's talk," I said grabbing his hand and walking up the stairs to the living room.

We sit on the couch and turned towards each other.

"Thank you for protecting me," I said looking at him.

His head snapped up, surprised that I started with that.

"I will always protect you, as long as you will let me." He said.

It was silent after that for a minute. I honestly didn't know how to respond to that.

"What happened last night?" I blurted out not being able to take the silence any longer.

"I am so sorry, Bella. I never wanted you to see that side of me, it's just that when the people I love are in danger…"

At that moment everything else he said drowned out. I could see hip lips moving, but couldn't for the life of me focus on the words that were coming out of his mouth. Did you just say, love? Am I hearing things?

"Wait, wait, wait! Hold up a minute." I held up my hand, rudely cutting him off "Did you just say, Love?"

For the first time since I have known Edward the confidence he exuded quickly went away. Edward was now fidgeting with his hands, shoulder slumped forward, and his head was down. He looked like a child that just got caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

"Yes." He said in a quiet voice.

"You mean that in a friendly way, right?" I asked.

He looked up at me and shook his head.

"I mean that in the 'I have fallen deeply in love with you' way. You are all I think about from the time I wake up, to the time I got to sleep, and even in my dreams. The moment I met you I knew that I wanted to be a part of your life, no matter if that was your friend, landlord, or lover. I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with you Bella Swan."

I was frozen in place. I didn't know what to do or say. I just sat there staring at him. I know that I feel the same way, I just wasn't ready to say those words out loud.

"I want to say those words back. I'm just not ready." I said feeling tears well up in my eyes. I tried blinking them away, but they just spilled over instead.

Edward reached forward and wiped the tears away. "It's alright. I understand. I know that you need some time to get adjusted to having someone who actually loves you mind, body, and soul. Just know that I will be here when you are ready." He said looking longingly into my eyes.

"Thank you." I said sniffling "Now I kind of missed everything you said after 'love' would you mind repeating."

He chuckled "I said that I just lose I sometimes when the people I love are threatened. I don't usually snap so quickly, but I think that since I love you in a different way my fuse is a little shorter." He looked a little ashamed "I had a really bad temper growing up and got into a lot of fights at school. I fought for survival and to protect Emmett." When he said that I saw a boost of pride come over him.

"Emmett needed to be protected? That's hard to believe." I snorted. Yeah, that's right, I snorted. It's a miracle I haven't died of embarrassment yet.

"We didn't always have money, and Emmett wasn't always the huge guy. I'm older than Emmett by two minutes. Plus Carlisle wasn't always in our life. When our mom found out that she was pregnant with us our grandfather threatened her life. He made her leave town and told her never to contact our father again. She was a struggling single mother trying to give her kids the best life she could. Sometimes she would go without eating for days, just to make sure that Emmett and I could." He stopped talking and turned away from me. This was clearly a painful memory.

"Kids would pick on us and tease us for having holes in our shoes or clothes that were too small. Some kids would try to start fights with Emmett because he was smaller, but I wasn't having it. I shut up any little punk that even thought about laying a finger on him." He chuckled at the last part, which in turn made me follow suit.

"My mom would get so mad because she was such a stickler when it came to school. She even made a deal with me when we were ten years old that if I could stay out of fights for the entire year, we would go for pizza on our birthday. It was a struggle, but I was able to do it. On our eleventh birthday, she took us to Pagliacci's in Bellevue. That was the day that changed our lives for the better." The twinkle that was present in his eye as he recalled the memory captured me.

"Why? What happened?" I asked curious to hear the rest of the story.

"Well, that is the day that my dad learned of our existence." He said with a huge smile on his face.

I gasped. I must know more. "Was he mad? Did he say anything to your mother? Was your grandfather there? Oh, dear lord, you must tell me more." I said scooting closer to him.

He laughed at my excitement.

"It was an eventful birthday, let's just say that. I mean obviously, it worked out for the better." He said waiving his hands around the material objects in the room. "Anyway, what I was trying to say was that it's in my mind to always protect. I don't really think clearly when I'm in the mind frame." Then his face got serious "All you need to know is that I will never hurt you. Not even when I'm at my worst self. It is physically impossible for me to cause you any kind of pain." He said grabbing my hand and bringing it up to his lips for him to kiss.

"I know, it just scares me when you get like that," I said truthfully.

"I promise to work on making sure that I don't blow my top so quickly. However, this thing with Jacob is obviously escalating. The little shit showed up on our doorstep. I'm glad that I was here, only the good lord above knows what he had planned."

"I'm sorry that it has gotten this out of hand. Charlie must have told him where we live. I honestly didn't think that he would do something like that. I mean he is my father, he should want what's best for me." I said still in disbelief.

"If there is anything that I learned from my parent's situation it's that sometimes parents veer far off the track in the name of what's best for their kids."

That is very true.

"What am I going to do? He knows where I live and most likely where I work. He is going to catch me at some point in time where I'm not going to have anyone around me." I asked feeling fear creep into my voice.

"Well, _WE_ are going to make sure that you aren't alone. I will take you to and from work, and I'm sure once you explain the situation to Alice and Rose they will understand and help keep you company." He said in a confident tone.

"That is true, but they are going to want to spend some time alone."

"In that case, I will have the opportunity to finally take you out on a proper date." At the thought of being seen in public with this handsome man my stomach started to do flips.

"That would be wonderful," I said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

"That's great, but it's getting late and we should probably be getting to bed." He stood up and pulled me up with him.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was only 6 o'clock.

"What are you talking about? It's it ridiculously early."

"True, but by the time I get done praising your body, it is going to be late." He said walking me back to his room.

Oh, I get it now.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" I said, raising my eyebrows in a questioning manner.

I wonder if this means we are official?

 **A/N: I just want to apologize for the length of time in between posts. I wasn't planning on being away this long, but I have just been extremely tired. Also, I found that it was a bit difficult to write this chapter. I want to be 100% confident in a chapter before I post it. I had to find the right musical inspiration to finish this chapter.**

 **I would like your opinion on the Carlisle and Esme story. Would you like to see a back story on that? I was thinking about it as I wrote it.**

 **Thanks for taking the time to read this. Have a nice (inserting time of day here).**


	10. What the hell?

Chapter 10

It has been a few weeks since Jacob showed up on my doorstep and Edward professed his love to me. True to his word he dropped me off at work and picked me up every day. I was a bit surprised when I found out that he needed directions to my job. When he asked why I told him about the black car that was outside my job about 4 weeks ago and how I just assumed that it was him. Once he denied it that got me thinking about who it could be. The only rational answer was Jacob.

I told Edward about what my assumption and to my surprise he didn't do his best Hulk impersonation. He instead went out for a jog.

On the weekends I have been hanging out with the girls. We have been having some very interesting conversations. My love life isn't the only one progressing.

( _ **Flashback**_ )

I am currently over at Alice's house with Rosalie getting the popcorn and wine ready for our movie night. Jasper and Edward were working late so we decided to make it a girl's night in.

"So Rose, I saw you and Emmett getting nice and cozy at the club on my birthday. Is it safe to say that he has been added to the Roster?" I asked as I took a sip of my Wine.

"Technically yes…I guess you can say the Emmett is the roster." She shyly stated. I have never in the two years that I worked with Rose seen her shy about anything. She does everything with the confidence of a well-experienced hoe, and I say that as a compliment.

The room was silent because neither Alice or myself expected this. Rose was in love with her single life. We thought that we would be pushing 40 years old before she was ready to even think about a monogamous relationship.

"So you are telling me that the only dick you have been getting for the past two weeks is Emmett Cullen's?" Alice asked bluntly being the first one to break the silence.

I took another sip of wine.

"Well, I haven't been getting any dick…"

Now I'm choking on my wine.

"Oh come on! It isn't that shocking." Rose said crossing her arms over chest giving us vexing looks.

"It really is, though. Rose, this is a big step for you, just like it is for me too. You know that giving your body to a guy isn't a big deal for you. Waiting to have sex with someone is a big deal." I said after recovering from my near death experience.

I could tell that from the look on her face that Rose knew I was telling the truth.

"The realization that you might actually have feelings for someone isn't a bad thing, it is scary as hell, but not bad. Especially with an awesome guy like Emmett." Alice said coming closer to Rose.

"It's just weird having these feeling again, it's even weirder not knowing if you can trust them." She said with an exasperated look on her face.

"I know the feeling, but go for it. Like you told me, we aren't going to let anything happen to you. We aren't your parents." I said.

The kitchen fell silent minus the sound of popcorn popping in the microwave.

"Alright bitches enough with the girl talk, what movie do you want to watch? Ocean's Eleven? Wolf of Wall Street? Or Fight Club?" She said going over to the stack of movies.

"Not Ocean's because I will want to watch all of them," I said walking over to the couch.

"I love me some Leonardo DiCaprio, but not exactly in the mood for Wolf," Alice said sitting on the other end.

"Fight Club it is," Rose said while putting the movie in and taking her seat in between us.

Alice and I did what we normally did and stick out feet under her butt, and got comfortable.

( _ **End of flashback**_ )

We would probably be doing the same thing right now, but the three of us have dates tonight so we decided that it would be best to once again spend the day getting pampered. Apparently, Jasper has a friend that owns a spa and owed him a favor, so we are getting rubbed and scrubbed from head to toe for free.

"So Rose, are you and Emmett going to make a beast with two backs tonight?" Alice asked for next to Rose.

"Why does your mind always go to sex?" I asked from next the other side.

"Yeah, thank you, Bella," Rose said with a pouty voice.

"Seriously, though, are you going to have sex with Emmett tonight?" I repeated the question.

She looked at with a false sense of betrayal present in her eyes, then a smile broke out on her face.

"I don't know, to be honest. I want to, but I also do want to lose what we have because we have brought sex into it."

"That's fair, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. It's obvious that the guy hasn't lost interest in you because you haven't had sex with him. I mean when you are around him no one else exists." Alice said reaching out for Rose's hand, which she gave without a second thought.

I could tell that she was holding something back and I knew what it was "Have you told him about your past yet?"

She looked down and shook her head.

"That is your story to tell when you are ready. No one is forcing you to tell him, but you will need to tell him."

"I know. It's just not the time."

We let the topic drop.

"How are things with Edward?" Rose asked a few minutes later.

"He told me he loves me." I blurted out without even thinking.

"WHAT!?" Both Rose and Alice shouted and set up straight.

"What did you say?" Alice asked.

"I told him that I wasn't ready to say those words yet. That I really wanted to, but I couldn't." My cheeks were getting hot.

"Holy crap. I knew that he had strong feelings, but I didn't think that were that strong." Alice sat back in her chair and looked out into the distance.

"Yeah, what she said. I mean I knew that it was going to get there, but I didn't think it would happen so quickly." Rose stated "What kind of pussy do you have over there?" she asked mostly jokingly.

"Normal I think. I have only slept with three people." I said.

"Never refer to your kitty as normal. I don't care if you are a virgin, you always claim your pussy to be magical when asked, is that clear?" Rose asked in all seriousness.

I nodded my head.

"I know you said you aren't ready to say the words, but you didn't deny it either." Alice kindly pointed out.

"I am very well aware of what I said." I still wasn't ready to say the words.

"Alright, just making sure we are all on the same page." She finished.

"Things with you and Jasper are fantastic?" I asked.

"You know it. That cowboy knows how to treat a woman. Did you know that Jasper, Edward, and Emmett were childhood friends?"

"Really? That's interesting. I knew that they went to college together, but I didn't know they grew up together." Rose said taking a sip of the water that was next to her.

"Yeah apparently Jasper's dad, Carlisle, and Esme are really good friends and they were at the boy's eleventh birthday," Alice said.

This sparked my attention.

"Do you know the full story of the eleventh birthday party? I only got a brief overview." I asked.

"No, all Jasper said was that it was eventful." She looked a little disappointed that I didn't have any more information than she did.

I looked at Rose hoping that she had more information.

"Don't look over here. That is the one thing that Emmett won't talk about."

Damn it.

( _At the house_ )

I am now searching through my closet trying to find something to wear. He said that we were going to a really nice restaurant and dancing. The last part scares me a little. I was able to escape without injury on my birthday, but that was only because there were more pressing matters at hand.

At least if I fall I will be falling into his arms, unless there are stairs involved, at that point there is no saving me.

Finally decided to go with a new jumper that I recently bought. I was a deep purple with beige and pale pink flowers on them. The jumper was low cut and showed off a good portion of my breast, I would wear a pair of nude heels and gold jewelry.

Once I was dressed I realized how hot I looked. This should get be an approving look from Edward at the very least.

I curled my hair, did my makeup, gave one more look in the mirror and was ready to go.

I walked out to the living room and found Edward waiting for me. He looked quite dapper and matched perfectly. He was wearing a beige three-piece suit that was tailor made for him. His tie was the same deep purple that my jumper was with a pocket square to match.

"How did you know to wear that? I honestly couldn't figure out what to wear until about thirty minutes ago." I asked in disbelief.

"I was peeking to see what you would wear. I want to make sure that every guy knows you are taken." He stated in a seductive voice.

I got so caught up in how he said it that I almost missed him claiming me, once again.

"You have a tendency to claim me, but it still isn't clear whether or not we are a couple officially," I said looking him directly in the eyes. I was silently telling him to ask me, to make this official. I want to be his more than anything in the world.

"Bella Swan, I am terribly sorry that I haven't made it undoubtedly clear to you. Due to that, I will ask you, will you be my girlfriend?" He asked.

"Edward Cullen it will be my pleasure." I blushed a little.

"Oh, sweetheart the pleasure is all mine." He leaned in and kissed me sweetly.

"Let's go show the world what a good looking couple we are," I said grabbing my jacket off the couch.

( _at the restaurant_ )

 _Canlis_

I have been wanting to come to this place for ages, but I haven't been able to afford it on the money I make hourly.

"Edward this place is ridiculously expensive. Are you sure you don't want to go for taco's?" I asking in a whisper walking up to the front door.

"What is your obsession with taco's?" He smiled while letting me walk in first.

"They are delicious and the source of everything good in this world," I said with a little attitude. I was offended that he didn't have an obsession with tacos.

"You are too cute when you're made." He said not taking me seriously "To answer your question, I am absolutely sure that I want to eat here. You deserve only the best and if you haven't noticed, I am financially in a place where I can afford this." He said a little proud.

There was no wait and he didn't even need to give his name. They sat us right away. I guess Edward comes here very often.

"Bella Swan tell me more about yourself." He said completely forgetting about the menu that was handed to him.

"I have told you everything about me already. What exactly do you want to know?"

"Why don't you ever talk about your mother?" He said without hesitation.

This was a topic is didn't talk about with anyone. Alice only knew because I got drunk and told her while she was holding my hair as I was throwing up. She told Rose about it so that she never asked. The women didn't deserve to be mentioned or included in any part of my life.

"What is good to eat here?" I looked down at the menu and started reading it over.

"Bella?"

"I only ask because it seems like you have been here before."

"Bella?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I snapped. I looked around to see if anyone heard me, but no one could give a care in the world.

"I understand you don't want to talk about it, but it seems like you need to." He said noticing my sudden irritation.

"She doesn't deserve to be mentioned," I said looking out the window that was to my left.

"Please tell me." He begged.

I was silent for a while before I finally started speaking again.

"Renee is her name. when I was about six-years-old when we went out for a walk like we did every day. It was our mommy-daughter time; except this time, we went a completely different route. We walked out to the wood in the back of our house instead of the front door to the park. Me being a kid I didn't think twice about it. We walked for what seemed like forever. The day turned into night and my feet started to hurt. I had asked why we hadn't gone back home. She just stopped, looked at me and said 'you stay here, mommy is going to walk a little further.' Then she just left me."

I had to stop for a minute because I was getting choked up.

Edward reached across the table and grabbed my hand. I reached for my glass of water and took a sip.

"After a while, I started to get scared. You think your mind plays tricks on you when you're an adult, try being a little kid in a dark forest. That is sure to bring some fears to life. I didn't know what to do, whether to walk in the direction my mom had walked in, or try to find my way back home. I knew that no matter what I chose I was probably going to get even more lost. I decided to stay where I was. I didn't leave that spot for two days." I said feeling a tear fall down my cheek.

I could see Edwards jaw lock up, his eyes filled with hatred.

"I was hungry and scared and just wanted my mom and dad back. I thought that I had disobeyed my mom and moved without from where I was without knowing it. I heard barking coming towards me and I took off further into the woods, but I tripped and hit my head on a rock that knocked me out. Turns out they were just the search dogs. The next thing I know I'm waking up in a hospital bed and Charlie is tightly holding onto my hand." I was now feeling the anger I always feel whenever I think of what she did to me.

"I am so sorry Bella. Your beautiful soul didn't deserve that." He said looking at me with the full weight of his love and instantly the love disappeared.

"I love you, Edward Cullen," I said without thought. It's true, I love this man with everything that is in me.

He got this impossibly huge smile on his face, got up from his chair, pulled me up with him and kissed me long and hard. He pulled back, looked me in the eyes and said "Ditto."

I laughed "Did you just make a _Ghost_ reference?" I asked.

"I'm really happy that you knew that. It was kind of a long shot." He said taking his seat after I had sat down.

"Are you kidding me Whoopi Goldberg was amazing and she won an Oscar for that role," I said.

"Very impressive, not many people know that one."

"Well thank you."

( _driving back to the house_ )

To say that tonight was magical would be an understatement. The food was great, I didn't fall while dancing, I told Edward that I love him, everything was going great.

"I'm really happy that we went out. I needed this after everything that has happened." I said meaning every word I said.

"I'm glad you enjoyed tonight…but you are going to enjoy it a lot more once I get you in this house." He teased.

"Don't make promises you can't live up to." I teased back.

He laughed and I joined in.

We turned the corner to pull into the driveway when the care came to an abrupt stop.

"FUCK!" Edward said slamming his hand on the steering wheel and rushing out of the car.

I got out rushing after him.

"Edward what just happened? Everything was going so well."

"LOOK!" He yelled pointing in front of him.

That when I saw what had pissed him off.

What the hell?


	11. One thing i do know

**AN: I want to apologize for my absence. I have known what I wanted to do with this chapter for a while, I just was having a hard time putting it into words. I am working on chapter 12 now and hope to have it posted soon.**

Chapter 11

The house was completely trashed. That was the best way to describe it. Glass was scattered all over the front yard due to the windows being broken, the front door was kicked in, the words "slut" "traitor" "bitch" and "filth" were spray-painted on the front of the house.

As we walked closer there was a foul smell coming from all around us, but we couldn't exactly pinpoint where it was coming from. Walking up the stairs I felt myself step on something soft, it made me jump and look at what it could've been, only to find that it was a dead rat. I screamed and fell into the grass, where my hand touches another. I quickly found that I was 1.) surrounded by dead rats, and 2.) hysterically crying at this point. Edward reached forward and pulled me up and held me close to him.

"It's alright, Bella. I got you."

"Who would do this?" I said through frenzied breath.

"I have one possible thought on who that could be." Edward said with a tight voice. I could practically feel the anger rolling off of him.

We stood there for about ten minutes. I was able to get my breathing under control in that time.

"My dearest Bella I know this is going to be hard, but we need to go inside and look at the damage. You are going to have to leave everything where it is, and not touch anything if you can help it." Edward said rubbing my back, then he pulled back and looked at me "Can you do that for me?"

I took a few more deep breaths and nodded my head.

We walked closer to the door and this time I was a lot more cautious of where I stepped. The door was kicked off the hinges laid at the bottom of the step to the basement.

"How is It that no one heard this happening? They couldn't have been quiet while kicking the door down." I asked in shock and confusion.

"I have no idea, Love." He said with a dejected tone.

He took my hand and walked inside the house and up the stairs.

The furniture was thrown all over the place, the foam cushion inside had been cut out spread across the floor. The walls had holes beat into them, there was a copy of the same words from the garage spray painted on every wall in sight, the kitchen was an absolute mess of broken glass and the contents of the fridge.

The destruction continued down the hall past the office, the spare bedrooms, the guest bathroom and to our rooms. To say that I was scared to see what my room looked like, would be an understatement.

Edward could tell that I was worried. He stepped in front of me, placed his hands on my shoulders and said "Stay here. I am going to check on the damage."

I nodded my head in understanding.

With every step, he took further down the hallways the more this feeling I had in my gut intensified. By the time he reached my bedroom I of the verge of vomiting. Something insides me was telling me that things were about to get a lot worse.

He pushed the door open and took a step inside. I couldn't see or hear what was happening after that. All of a sudden Edward came of out the room with a worried look on his face, blood on his hands and his phone up to his ear.

"Yes, we need an ambulance at 114 E High Pointe Dr." He paused for a moment and looked at me with heartbreak "We have a severely injured officer."

What did he mean? He couldn't be talking about Charlie, could he?

I start to move towards my room and Edwards arms reach out and wrap around my waist keeping me from heading down that hall.

NO. This can't be happening.

I could hear different voices in the background, but none of that meant anything to me. All I could do is try to fight my way out of Edwards hold.

I knew that I was kicking and screaming, fighting as hard as I could to get out of his hold, but the movement and sound weren't familiar to me.

Somehow in the middle of my fight, Edward was able to carry me down the stairs and outside where flashing lights were quickly approaching up. I don't know how long I had been fighting against Edward, but I do know that my body didn't have much fight left.

Once I accepted that Edward wasn't going to let me go, I collapsed in his arms and sobbed.

"Was it Charlie?" I asked in a low tone.

Edward didn't respond vocally, but his body tensed up.

I turned around in his arms and looked him in the eyes.

"WAS IT CHARLIE?" I asked in a sterner tone.

"Yes." He responded in a broken tone.

I let out a small whimper. Edward heard it though and brought me back close to his chest. He was rubbing small circles on my back.

"Edwards I told Carlisle to have his hospital contact, Eleazar, on alert for Charlie." I heard Emmett say from behind me.

When did he get here?

There was a small hand touching my back now and I knew immediately who it was.

"Charlie is going to be fine, Bella." Alice said in her pixie-like tone.

I wanted to believe her but I couldn't bring myself to garner that much hope.

"Bella?" A deep strong voice sounded from behind me.

I turned around in Edwards' arms and saw a face I had almost forgotten about.

"Officer Webber?" I asked wanting to make sure I was correct.

"That's right kid." He responded with a slight smile on his face.

I broke out of Edwards' arms and rushed over to him. His hugs were still as warm and welcoming as I remember them being.

"I thought you moved to Forks to get away from the city life?" I asked.

"We did, but after a while, we missed the city. Angela is going to UW and the twins in High School this year, we realized that they are just as smart as Angela and not going to be challenged enough in Forks, so we decided to move back." He said with pride written all over his face, then the look fell "I promise you that we will find whoever did this."

"You won't have to look too far outside his small circle of friends." I said with animosity.

"What do you mean?" There was a confused look on his face.

"Billy Black and Jacob Black did this." My tone was dead as I said their names.

"Are you serious? Why would they do something like this?"

Over the next twenty minutes, I told him why I knew it was them.

"What doesn't make sense is if your dad wanted you back with Jacob, why would they do what they did to him?" He asked.

It was a good question, I just wish I had the answer.

"You better pray to whoever it is that you pray to that I don't get my hands on that mutt before you do." Edward said.

I turned around and finally noticed that Rose and Jasper were there also.

"When did the rest of you get here?" I asked.

"About thirty minutes ago. You weren't exactly in a state of mind to notice anything around you." Rose spoke up.

I turned back to Officer Webber "What hospital did they take him to?"

"Swedish Hospital, Love." Edward answered from behind me.

"Do they need us to stick around any longer?" I asked

"No, they will meet you at the hospital and take you statement there." Officer Webber said.

I turned towards the car and heard Edward follow me.

I wasn't going to get on Edward about his speed, but I was in a rush myself but no matter how fast he went it still seemed like we were going at a snail pace.

"Is he going to be alright?" I asked feeling tears fall down my face again.

"I don't know, sweets. I really wish that I could say yes, but I don't know."

That seems to be a common theme, we don't know.

One thing I do know is that Jacob Black, will burn in hell for this.


	12. Will charlie be alright?

Chapter 12

We have been at the hospital for three long and grueling hours. Edwards's father had personally taken over care of my father, but he hadn't come out and given us any updates. The worst part of having a loved one rushed to the hospital is not knowing what is going on. The worst possible thoughts were coming into my mind while we waited.

I was currently sitting down in the extremely uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room. Alice was on my right holding my hand, Edward was on my left with his arms around my shoulders, and Rose was sitting across from me with her legs crossed and arms folded. Emmett and Jasper decided to stay behind at the house to make sure that everything was taken care of properly, they also wanted to keep a lookout for Jacob. If he was going to be stupid enough to come back to the scene of the crime, we were going to make sure he had a welcoming party.

"Bella, Charlie is going to be alright. That man is a fighter." Alice said while stroking the hand she was holding.

"Either way Jacob Black is going to burn in hell for this." My voice was hollow, which matched how I was feeling inside.

"True, but he must suffer here on Earth before we send him to eternal damnation." Rose said. This was the first time she has spoken since we arrived and it was a statement we all agreed with.

"You still have your contacts, Rose?" Alice asked. She knew where this was going and so did I.

"What contacts?" Edward asked from beside me with confusion present in his voice.

This was a part of Rose's past that she doesn't talk about, but Alice and I know very well.

"This is going to be a story for later when we have Jasper and Emmett." She said.

"You still haven't told Emmett?" I asked.

"I was going to, but then Edward called and the night went to shit." She said, sinking in her chair a little.

"I'm sorry we interrupted your night. I know it probably took a lot for you to build up the confidence to tell him." I felt really bad that we got in the way of her plan.

"Don't you apologize for Jacob's fuck-up. You have done enough of that in the past." There was anger present in her voice.

We were silent once again, just waiting for Edwards's father to come out and give some kind of information.

( _1 hour later_ )

"Bella?" I hear a voice off to the side.

I look up and see an older version of Edward only with Blonde hair. I am presuming this is Dr. Cullen.

"Dr. Cullen, how is my dad doing?" I asked with panic in my voice standing up and walking over to him.

"I'm not going to water it down, it isn't good. He has three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, his pelvis is shattered, there was a fracture to his right Tibia, and a fracture to his skull. There are other bumps, bruises, and cuts all over his body, some were more severe than the others. In total, he has 100 stitches. It is a miracle he is still alive. We had to put him in a medically induced coma to manage the pain and to see if that will bring the swelling on his brain." He said looking tired.

In the movies, I know this is the part where I should break down crying and screaming, but I was too shocked to do anything. He was right, it was a miracle that my father was still alive. There isn't any reason for him to still be breathing.

"He's a fighter." I said out loud, more to myself.

"You are right, but his fighting spirit is going to be put to the test. I need you to prepare for the worst, Bella. There is a good chance that he will not live through this, and if he does he won't be the same man you knew." The tired look was replaced with sorrow.

What in the hell did Charlie get himself into?

"When will be able to go up and see him?" I asked.

"He is in ICU which is usually just for immediate family…"

"All due respect sir, Rose and Alice are the closest to a family I have besides Charlie." I said interrupting Dr. Cullen.

"What I was going to say, is that I will make an exception for your friends. Besides, I don't think I will be able to pry my son from your side." He finished.

My face was hot with embarrassment. Here is was trying to save my father's life, and I'm interrupting him when he is speaking.

"You are absolutely correct. Edward said from behind me. I felt him slide his arm around my waist, and I relaxed just a little bit.

"Let me take you to his room." Dr. Cullen said and started walking down the endless halls of this incredibly suffocating hospital.

Once we reached Charlie's room Dr. Cullen stopped and looked at us.

"This isn't going to be easy. Please prepare yourselves for what you're about to see." He finished putting a hand on my shoulder. "Only two in the room at a time. There is a family room down the hall to your left for the other waiting to go in."

"Thank you very much, Dr. Cullen. I can't tell you how much appreciate your kindness." I said.

"Please call me Carlisle. Dr. Cullen was my dickhead of a father." He said and walked away.

Getting his side of the Eleventh birthday fiasco is a goal I have, but first I need to get my dad the closest to one-hundred percent I can get.

"Bella, we are going to be in the Family room. Come and get us once you are done." Rose said as she pulled out her phone and started typing.

I was really hoping that she was reaching out to her friends.

The curtain in the room was hiding what Charlie looked like. I was getting nervous to pull that curtain back and see what Edward wouldn't let me see at the house. I'm sure it isn't nearly as bad as it was there, but when you see your loved one in a hospital bed everything becomes more real. If you never see them, then you can keep denying the fact that it's real. However, I don't have the luxury of denying the realness of the situation. I need to feel the pain that I am about to feel because this pain will be my fuel in getting revenge on Jacob.

"Bella, you don't have to do this right now." Edward said from behind me. I know he was trying to protect me from getting hurt, but I was already hurting.

"Yes, I do. I don't know if he can hear me, but I need to let him know that I am here. I need him to know that he isn't going to suffer for no reason." I turned around and looked him in the eyes "I know that this happened to him because he was protecting me. If my dad really wanted me to do anything, he would have driven to our house and snatched me out of bed. I need him to know that I am safe."

I turned back around and walked into his room. I reached for the curtain, took a deep breath, and pulled them back. In that instant, the air I had just filled my lungs with had been knocked out of me. The room started to spin and darkness was closing in on me. I reached for the foot of the bed and steadied myself.

"Bella!" Edward had his hands on my hips as he helped me get my balance back "Are you alright?" He asked with panic in his voice.

"I'm fine, it's just a shock. I know your father told me to prepare for the worst, but seeing it is completely different." I was taking deep breaths of the stale air.

I always hated the way the hospital smelled. There was always something off about it.

I looked up again and saw my dad hooked up to all different monitors and seeing him this vulnerable and weak was something new to me.

"Daddy," I said as tears spilled over "I am so sorry this happened to you." I reached out to touch his hand but stopped myself. I didn't want to cause any more pain by touching him. "I promise that I will make that dog pay for what he did to you. For every broken bone, scratch and bruise, he will have the same."

I blew him a kiss and turned to leave. I walked down the hall and saw Rose hanging up her phone. She looked up at me and nodded her head.

"How long until they get here?" I asked.

"Four days. They are working another job. Once they finish up with that they will come out here." Rose said.

"You two should go and see him. Let him know that his two surrogate daughters are also here for him."

Rose and Alice disappeared down the hall and I took a seat in one of the couches. I was exhausted and it was finally catching up with me.

"Bella, whatever you ladies are planning us guys are going to want in on it." He said sitting next to me.

"I know, that's why Rose is going to tell you her story." I leaned my head on his shoulder enjoyed the silence.

( _Some time later_ )

I woke up with my head on Edwards lap and his hand stroking my hair.

"How long was I out for?" I asked.

"An hour and a half" He responded after looking at his watch "Emmett and Jasper took Alice and Rose home. I didn't want to wake you so I just stayed for a bit. My mom said that she has a room made up for us at the family home…I figured you wouldn't want to go back to our house for a while."

There had never been more truth in one sentence.

"Let's go. I need to change out of these clothes and take a shower. I feel like I smell like dead rats."

As we were walking down the hallway I saw Edwards father "Dr…I mean Carlisle, please call if there are any changes. I don't care if its bad news, I want to stay updated."

Carlisle smiled and nodded his head "Don't worry too much about your father. I'm the best doctor in this hospital." He had a smug look on his face.

"That's where Edward get his cockiness from. Good to know." I said with a slight smile and continued down the hall with the sound of Carlisle's laughter in the distance behind me.

( _At the family home_ )

"MOM!" Edward yelled, "We're here!" He added.

"Edward Anthony Cullen!" I heard Esme's voice in the distance.

"Uh-oh. You in trouble." I said under my breath.

I heard Edward let out a heavy sigh.

"What have I said about yelling in my house?" Esme said coming from what I'm guessing is one of the many rooms in this house.

This place was huge. It made Edwards house seem like a little cottage.

"Sorry, mom." Edward said with his head down looking ashamed.

I could totally see that being the look he had on his face when Esme was scolding a young Edward for fighting in school.

"Yeah right. Bella sweetie it is good to see you again." She reached in for a hug, but I backed away.

"I'm sorry Esme, but I really need to take a shower." I said still feeling very gross.

"Of course. Edward show her to your room."

As we were walking through the house I felt more and more at home. There was a very warm feeling to the place. I could tell the Esme loved maroon because that was the color in every visible part of the house. She matched in perfectly with gold accents.

"This is what we call the 'Family Hallway'. All of our rooms are located down here." Edward said.

The hall was lined with fun relaxed photos of the family on both sides. There was a floor to ceiling length window at the bottom of the hall. You could tell that I would provide a lot of light once the sun was up, which would be in a few hours. We reached the last door on the left and stopped in front of it.

"This will be our room until you are ready to go back home." Edward said and opened the door.

The beauty of the room was amazing. I walked to the middle of the room and took in the beauty. There was once again floor to ceiling windows that lined one wall. The room was decorated in navy blue and white. The room was easily twice the size of what Edward has at our house. There was a Piano in the corner of the room that I noticed after the initial shock.

"You play?" I said pointing at the piano.

"How do you think I can please you so well?" He fired back. I could hear the smugness in his voice.

"Don't even think about it." I said turning around.

He stopped in his tracks.

"I need to shower."

He opened his mouth to speak.

"Without you."

He pointed to the door on the other side of the room. I made my over to it and locked the door behind me.

I took off my heels and stripped out of my clothes and just stared at myself in the mirror. There was no one around me, there was no noise, and it was just me.

There are times during personal tragedies where you find that being alone can be incredibly therapeutic. You are worried about looking weak to people not knowing what's going on. You aren't worried about seeming overly sensitive to the people closest to you. You don't have to worry about feeling the silent air with unnecessary words, you can just be alone with the heartbreaking feelings you have. You are alone to cry until there are no more tears, and that is what I did.

I got in the shower, made the water as hot as I could possibly stand, sunk to the floor and cried. I could feel the water cascading down my back on mixing in with the tear on my face. It felt like I was allowing myself to feel human for the first time in a long time, which was crazy because it's not like I'm afraid to be myself around Edward or Alice or Rose, I just needed this cry.

After what felt like a while I felt that the water was starting to get a little cooler so I washed my body and my hair then got out. I hadn't noticed it before, but there was a nice fluffy white towel on the sink. It looked warm and welcoming. I grabbed it and wrapped it around my body. I picked up my clothes and exited the bathroom. The steam from my shower came rolling out into the room.

Edward was sitting on the bed drying his hair. He must have showered in another room…or maybe this room has two bathrooms, it's big enough for it.

"Alice is going to bring you some clothes when they stop by later, but for now I found some sweats and a T-shirt for you." He said pointing to the folded clothes on the bed. "Esme has some food downstairs waiting."

I nodded my head and sat on the bed.

Edward came around and stood in front of me "Charlie is going to make it through this." He said kissing my forehead.

We were quiet for a moment. I had my moment alone to breakdown, now it was time for me to enjoy the presence of Edward. Everything about this man was absolutely perfect. A lot of guys would have left by now, but he was here with me. If I hadn't already come to terms with the fact that I love this man, I would have done it right now.

"As much as I love the site of you in a towel, you need to get dressed and eat. Food would be good for you, it's been a long night and you are going to need sleep soon."

He walked out of the room and I was once again left with my thoughts. This time I didn't breakdown, I just sat there for a little while longer and enjoyed the silence.

Once I got dressed I made my way downstairs where the scent of bacon was heavy. Once I got a whiff of that glorious scent my stomach started to make noises. I had no clue where I was going so I just followed the smells and the voices.

There it was a spread fit for a king. Fresh cut fruit, eggs, French toast, and bacon. I was so happy to see the food that my mouth started to water.

"There she is." Esme said coming over to me. She gave me a tight hug that had a mother's warmth.

"Esme this looks amazing." I said hugging her back "Thank you so much."

"Oh hush now. Sit and eat so that you can get some rest." She said ushering me to the table.

She loaded my plate up then filled my glass with orange juice. She started to cover my French toast with syrup, but I stopped her.

"I like to eat my French toast last so the syrup doesn't mix with the rest of my food." I said scrunching my face up.

Edward burst out laughing.

"Not you too." Esme said.

I was so confused in this situation.

"I'm the same way dear." Edward said pointing at his plate, and sure enough, there was his French toast dry as a bone.

I chuckled a little at the realization.

We ate breakfast with friendly conversation. I could tell that they were trying to keep my mind away from thoughts of Charlie, but that was impossible.

Once my stomach was full my exhaustion caught up with me once again and I started to fall asleep at the table.

"It's time to get you upstairs and in the bed." Edward said pulling up from the table.

He walked me up the stairs and got me into bed then climbed in next to me. I turned to him and asked one more question before I fell asleep.

"Charlie is going to be alright, right?"


	13. The Big Freakout

Chapter 13

As I start to wake up I notice a few things. The first being that the sun that was rising when I went to sleep has now set, I slept so long that my body hurts, and Edward isn't in bed with me.

After I asked Edward last night if Charlie was going to be alright, his response was unsure. That was fair after seeing the condition that he was in, but I was hoping that someone had as much faith in my father's strength as I did.

I rolled over on my back and just laid there thinking about last night's events. From the sound of things, Carlisle isn't too optimistic about his recovery. Although he was right, Carlisle is the best doctor at that Hospital and one of the best in the country. His knowledge mixed with my dad's strength, I know things will turn around for him.

I look at the clock and see that it says 6:30 PM. Dear Lord, I slept for twelve hours. I hop out of bed and head over to the bathroom. There is nothing like a hot shower to wake you up. As I walked over to the bathroom I noticed a stack of clothes with a piece of paper on top.

It read:

Bella,

Alice went out and bought some clothes for you.

You looked so peaceful I didn't want to bother you.

Come down when you're ready.

Edward

Alice has always been so thoughtful. Her hyper-ness can be a little bit annoying, but I wouldn't trade any part of her for the world.

I continued with what I was going to do and got dressed.

I made my way downstairs and once again heard voices coming from the kitchen. I made my way towards them and heard Alice and Jasper mixed in, I guess that note wasn't as old as I thought.

I walk through the door and Alice jumps out of her seat and runs straight to me.

"For a minute there I thought you weren't every going to wake up, Snow White." She said embracing me in a tight hug. She sometimes called me Snow White because I was just as pale and fragile as her.

"I guess I was more tired than I thought. Sorry if I kept you waiting." I said hugging her back.

"Don't be silly. We've only been here for about an hour, we were going to order food." She finished.

At the mention of food, my stomach started to growl.

"Well, it looks like your stomach agrees with us." She giggled.

My cheeks instantly got hot with embarrassment.

"Thank you for the clothes Alice, I really needed them."

"No problem. I know that you hate when people spend money on you, but the police still aren't letting people inside the house." She said as the smile fell from her face.

"There was more damage than we originally thought, love," Edward added in.

I felt anger start to build up inside me.

"Alice call Rose and have her bring Emmett here. We need to get things going." I said crossing my arms.

"Got it." She responded and left the kitchen taking out her phone.

Jasper looked confused and started to ask Edward what was going on, but Edward beat him to it "Trust me if I knew what was going on I would fill you in, but something tells me that these women of ours have a secret." Edward said looking directly at me as he finished.

"It's more Rose's secret than ours, that's why she is the one that has to tell you the story." I said sitting next to Edward.

At that moment Alice came back into the kitchen.

"Rose said to give them an hour and they will be here. I guess she stayed the night over Emmett's." Alice added as an afterthought.

"Do you blame her?" I asked.

Alice shook her head and plopped down next to Jasper. We sat there for a moment in silence. Alice and I knew Rose's full story, so our silence was in contemplation the guys was in confusion.

"I think we should have the food here when Emmett arrives, he can get pretty Hangry if he doesn't eat every couple hours." Edward said, going to a drawer and pulling out takeout menus.

He held them up for us to choose.

"I say Chinese," I stated.

"How about Italian?" Alice added.

"Or Mexican?" Jasper said.

"Oh Tacos!" Alice and I said at the same time.

The boys started laughing.

"Once again, I have no clue what you ladies' obsession with Tacos is but it is hilarious. I will just get all three." Edward said walking out of the kitchen as he starting calling the restaurants.

We once again fell into a silence but this time it was a comfortable one.

Alice got up from her seat and came to stand next to me where I was leaning against the counter.

"Do you think she is going to be able to get through the story?" She asked

"I have no clue. I honestly don't think that the guys are going to let her. There are some pretty gruesome details." I said look back at Jasper who was trying to be respectful and not listen in.

"I know we said that this is her story, but we have" she paused and looked back at Jasper. When she continued her voice was much softer "we have blood on our hands too." She finished.

"I understand where you are going with this, but our friend needs to tell her whole story. Part of that story involves us. She can't be the only one taking a risk, we are her best friends." I finished just as Edward came through the doorway.

Alice and I quickly separated. She went back over and sat next to Jasper. Edward gave me a questioning look.

"You will know once Rose and Emmett gets here." Answering his questioning look. I could tell that he wasn't satisfied with that answer, but that is all he will be getting for now.

"When will the food get here?" Jasper asked changing the subject.

"They should all be here but the time Emmett and Rose arrive." Edward said more than happy to change the subject.

To pass the time we fell into some easy small talk that completely avoided last night's events or the reason we are awkwardly sitting here. Before we knew it there was a knock on the front door.

Edward got up to answer it. Alice and I give each other a look; we understand that once Rose walks through that door there is no turning back from this. The guys are already very suspicious of us and Rose has once again worked up the courage to tell Emmett, Jasper, and Edward everything. We have also been pressuring her to tell Emmett, we can't suddenly change our minds.

Emmett walks through the door and enters the Kitchen, he is quiet which means something isn't right. Rose walks in behind him with a tear streaked face. Alright, something definitely isn't right.

Edward quickly walks is with bags in each hand and an anxious look on his face.

I turn about and see Emmett sitting as far away from Rose as he can possibly get.

I looked over at Rose and saw the nervousness that had consumed her body. She wasn't just about to share one of her darkest times in life, but she was about to open up to a guy that she likes. She is allowing herself to be vulnerable. In the few years, I have known Rose she hasn't allowed herself to be vulnerable to anyone, not even Alice or myself. I completely understand why she does it. It's a defense mechanism, it's her way of making sure that she never gets hurt by anyone ever again. By the look on her face though, I think she might throw-up if I continue to let her stay inside that head of hers.

"Alice, Rose, Come with me." I announced as I walked towards the hall.

"More secret conversations I see." Emmett muttered. The irritation in his voice was thick.

"Emmett, Don't." Edward spoke up.

Alice and Rose walked passed me and out of the Kitchen. I looked over at Edward to see if he had this under control.

He nodded his confirmation.

I turned around sharply and followed the girls to end of the hallway and outside to the patio.

As soon as we reached fresh air Rose gasped for air as if she was being brought back to life.

"I can't do this." She said quickly bending at the waist trying to catch her breath. This is a side of Rose I had never seen.

"Yes, you can." I walked over to her and started rubbing her back.

"He is already upset at me. There is no way I am going to make it through this and still have him in my life." She was now crying.

Things were getting out of hand very quickly. I looked over at Alice and saw that she was trying to hold back tear herself.

"He is only upset because there is something you aren't telling him. Once you tell him everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING" I emphasized the everything, because she needs to know that she isn't alone "He will understand."

It took her a beat to figure out what I was saying.

"Wait, you want me to tell them about, you know?" she asked hesitantly.

I nodded my head.

"NO! There is no way I am ruining all three of our relationships." She said. Now she was hyperventilating.

This isn't how things were supposed to go.

"Breath sweetie. Calm down it's going to be alright." This was my attempt to calming her down.

She was once again bent over, which was making the situation worse. I now had tears in my eyes because my friend was freaking out and I didn't know how to calm her down. This day wasn't shaping up to be any better than last night ended.

I looked over to Alice for help and it was almost like a switch had been flipped. Alice wiped the tears from her eyes and walked over to Rose. She held Rose in an upright position and put her arms on top of her head.

"BREATH!" She shouted. Once Rose took her first clear breath in she continued "You didn't act alone so we aren't going to let her risk happiness by yourself. We helped you make this bed and we will all lay in it." She looked over at me for confirmation and I nodded my head "That man loves you. Once you tell him everything, the secrets will make sense." She finished.

Rose nodded her head and took a few more deep breaths. "Alright. I think I can do this now." She said dabbing at her tears with her shirt sleeve. She shook her body then headed for the door.

Alice and I looked at each other then followed after her.

When we entered the Kitchen again the guys had gotten plates ready for us and were sitting around the table waiting.

The three of us took our spots next to our significant other and sat quietly for a few seconds.

Rose took one last deep breath then began "His name was Royce Kingly, and he ruined me."

 **A/N: I am extremely sorry it has been so long since my last post. What I was writing didn't feel right, so I had to exit output and enter input and read some books and just lose myself in other people's writing, before I could lose myself in my owner writing.**

 **Not going to lie there is another story I'm working on. It's not Fan Fiction, it's my own creation and it had taken a lot of my mental space. Since today is the first Weekend day where I am stuck at home in a while, I decided to drop everything else and update this story.**

 **I hope that you all loved this chapter. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you thought. Also, yell at me for my absence if you would like.**


	14. Endless Silence

Chapter 14

 **A/N: I am going to aim for this chapter to be a little on the dark side. If you don't like reading about this stuff or you have triggers, I completely understand if you skip it. I will put in where the worst part ends.**

 **Rose's POV**

"His name was Royce Kingly, and he ruined me." I said getting right to the point "I grew up in a strict Christian family. My parents believed in no sex before marriage, no birth control, and getting started young."

I paused for a moment and looked around. The girls had already heard the story, but this was all new to the guys. I looked over at Emmett he was just looking at his plate.

"I actually wore a Chastity Belt from the time I had my first period. My parent would also take me for 'check-ups' as they called it. They wanted to make sure that I was still a virgin." I stopped at the horrifying memory, but I needed to continue "I was raised to be subservient, to put my husband's needs before my own. There were things that I didn't like, but I loved my family. I wanted to make my mom and dad proud. So, when they told me that they had found me a husband I didn't think much of it. I didn't care that I was sixteen years old. This is all that I knew. All my friends were engaged and I was excited to join the ranks and officially become a woman."

I could tell that the guys were still stuck on the fact that I was sixteen when I got engaged, but that will seem like nothing by the end of this story.

"When I first met Royce I was immediately smitten. He kissed my hand and praised my beauty. I had been called beautiful before, but the way he did it made it seem real. He took me out on chaperoned dates and stole a kiss when they weren't looking. Everything was perfect until suddenly it wasn't."

This is where the story starts to takes a dark turn that doesn't get better.

"It had been about a year after our marriage and I hadn't gotten pregnant yet. We went to the doctor to see what was wrong with me, come to find out it wasn't me. It was him, he had a low sperm count which I didn't make a big deal about it. I listened to what the doctor told us to do to get his sperm count to a normal number. Royce didn't see it like that."

A tear fell down my face. I reached up and wiped it away quickly.

"He blamed me. Said that there was something wrong with me, that God was punishing him because I wasn't pure when we got married. Even though we had the white sheet with blood on it in our closet, he just wouldn't drop it. He was constantly yelling at me and calling me a slut, whore, bitch, cunt, and any other horrible name you can think of.

"I remember asking my mom once if that was normal, and her reply was simple 'if you aren't pleasing your husband, yes' was all she said. So, I tried harder to please him and make up for not being able to bring him, children."

"But that wasn't your fault," Edward stated on the other end of the table interrupting me.

"I know that now, but back then I was just a seventeen-year-old kid. It's not like my parents had the sex talk with me. One day I was a kid, the next I could have kids. There wasn't a smooth transition. I didn't know anything about sex besides it's a sin out of wedlock." I responded to him.

I looked over at Emmett and saw that he was still just looking at his plate. He hasn't moved since I started talking. It's a good thing he is a heavy breather because I would've checked his pulse to make sure he was still alive.

"Nothing I did seem to be right, it actually just made him even angrier."

I paused because I was about to tell them what broke me.

"One night Royce came home late and drunk from work. I had cooked up a nice meal for him because I knew that he would be hungry when he got in. When he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt I noticed something on his collar, it was lipstick. When I asked him about it, he became livid 'How dare you question my actions.' He screamed at the top of his lungs and slapped me right across the face. The room was silent for a beat before we both realized what had happened. It was almost like he had gained an extreme amount of power from that one hit. I was crying and he was laughing. After a few seconds, he grabbed a fistful of hair and jerked my head back 'I go to work all day so I can provide a life for you and this is how you repay me' He threw me into the wall and I hit my head so hard that it caused a dent to form. His voice was roaring like thunder 'If I want to go out and have some fun with my friends, I will do that.' He emphasized by adding a kick to the gut and a punch to my face."

I needed a few seconds to collect myself. I had to tell them the whole story, I need Emmett to know everything.

"He continued to yell and curse as he threw the contents of our dinner on the floor in front of me. Broken glass was everywhere including embedded in my legs. I walked away from that night with countless cuts running up and down my legs. His beatings would also become an everyday routine."

"Rose you don't have to continue," Edward said in a soft tone.

"Yes, I do. You guys deserve to know." I responded with conviction.

Whatever he was going to follow up with was now a thought of the past.

"This continued until I was eighteen-years-old. I got better at hiding the bruises and putting on a face in front of other people. To everyone around we were almost the perfect couple, the only thing we were missing was a child. Every time someone asked about when we were going to have kids I could anticipate a violent night and sore body in the morning.

"Life no longer held any joy for me. I used to be able to find comfort in joy in my faith, but all I felt was betrayal, anger, loneliness, and pain. So much pain was felt, both physical and emotional. Even though the physical marks would heal, the emotional wounds were still open and raw."

"Why didn't you leave?" Jasper asked. I could see the pain this was causing him. I could also see the confusion.

"I thought about it, but I also thought about the consequence if I failed to get away from him."

"Which was…?" Jasper once again spoke up.

"Death," I answered simply.

The looks on their faces would've been comical had we not been on the topic we were. I glanced at Emmett and saw his fist clench on top of the table. Sign of life. I don't know whether this is good or bad. I know that Emmett loves me, but does he love me enough to mend my broken heart? I guess we will see from the next part.

"The night I left was the night I thought I was going to die. At one point, I begged for death to greet me with open arms. Death seemed like a beautiful thing at that point." I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the painful memory that followed. "It was like any other night, or so I thought. Royce had come home late but this time he wasn't drunk. I had dinner ready and was waiting for him to give me his coat to hang up, but instead, he told me to go upstairs and put on something sexy. Being the obedient wife I was trying incredibly hard to be, I did what he told me to do.

"I was excited. Maybe this night won't end in tears." I sighed in pity at how naïve I was "Dear lord was I wrong. When I came back downstairs there were three of his friends sitting in our living room. I tried to cover up but Royce quickly stopped me 'My friends are here to see my beautiful wife.' He said 'Don't cover up the beautiful body of yours. Let the world see it.' The more words that came out of his mouth, the more I felt the need to vomit.

"I stood there for a few seconds, but I could tell something wasn't right. I tried to run up the stairs, but Royce was quicker. He had grabbed a handful of hair and dragged me down the rest of the way and to the middle of the living room. The fear that ran through my body was paralyzing. The sound of my blood rushing through my veins was deafening. Royce was yelling, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. I was desperately searching for a way out of this, but I couldn't find one. My head suddenly whipped to the right and there was a searing hot feeling on my cheek. That was the slap that brought my attention back to Royce. For the first time since he started yelling, I heard what he was saying 'My friends paid a lot of money to enjoy that body. Now you are going to sit there and take what they give you.' The malicious tone in his voice sent a chill up my spine. That's when he started ripping off what little clothes I did have on."

Tears were free flowing from my eyes. There was no reason to try and contain them.

"They did anything and everything they wanted to do to me for three hours. When they were finished, I couldn't move, I could barely breathe. I laid there in my blood with a pain I had never felt before all over my bod. I ended up passing out, when I finally woke up, I was in the hospital."

 **(The worst part is over)**

At that moment Emmett shot up from his chair. The sudden movements made me jump in my seat. Emmett noticed immediately.

He collected himself enough to give me a gentle kiss on the forehead before he rushed out to the back patio, where I had my meltdown earlier.

Edward and Jasper both followed him out, just like Alice and Bella did for me.

"What just happened?" I said, "Does this mean that he doesn't want to be with me anymore?" I asked Bella.

"I'm sure he just needs some fresh air. This isn't some little secret you have been keeping. This is a tragic story you are telling, and the fact that it's your story doesn't make it any better." She stated.

"It makes it more real if anything. I'm guessing that he has seen you naked and asked about your scars." Alice followed. I nodded.

It was true. He has seen me naked and he has seen my scars. He's asked me many times about those scares, but I told him that I wasn't ready to talk about it. If it wasn't for Jacob making thing difficult, I probably wouldn't have told him for a while. These weren't memories that I liked bringing to the forefront.

"It's really lonely over here," I said to the girls.

They immediately got up from where they were sitting and came over to comfort me.

"You know what comes next, right?" I asked.

"We know. Don't hold back. Tell them everything. They all deserve to know." Bella responded.

She was always thinking about other's first. This could potentially take Edward away from her, and she is comforting me.

After the longest ten minutes of my life, the guys came back in.

Alice and Bella stayed next to me for the remainder of the story. The guys sat across from us. Emmett's eyes were red and puffy like he had been crying.

Oh, my poor Emmett.

"You may continue your story," Edward spoke up after taking his seat.

"Are you sure?" I asked looking at Emmett.

He nodded his head.

"Apparently, our neighbor was walking her dog and saw my door open. She was the nosy kind of neighbor, so she decided to invite herself in. Once she saw me on the ground she called the police. She was sitting next to me when I came too." I chuckled at the memory.

She was in the chair next to me knitting a blanket with those granny glasses on. She looked so tiny and frail in the hospital chair, but looks can be deceiving.

"Mary was her name, and she was an angel. I didn't have to tell her what happened, she already knew. In her words, I was 'Part of a large group of women that have been through hell and survived.' She told me that surviving was the easy part, living was going to be hard. She was right. It was extremely hard to live life again. No matter where I went or who I was around I never felt safe. That was until I met Anthony Smith."

"Who is he?" Emmett asked with envy. I smiled a little bit. He is adorable when he is jealous.

"Anthony Smith is an Ex-Military badass that helped me get my confidence back. He is also Mary's son. He taught me how to protect myself. He showed me how to get out of situations I wasn't comfortable with. He taught me how to shoot any target I can get my eyes on and he also helped me learn to trust again. Don't worry though, you boys are more his type than I would be." I implied.

The girls and I found that funny, mostly because Emmett had a light blush going from his embarrassment.

"I ended up pressing charges against Royce and his friends with the help of Anthony. My family wasn't happy with that, but I didn't care. They could all go to hell if it was up to me." I scuffed "The moment he was sentenced I wasted no time filling for divorce. Once that was finalized I got a new job and moved to Seattle. The 2080 miles from Dallas, Texas seemed far enough. I was wrong."

I looked at the girls giving them one more chance to save themselves. They both just gripped my hands tighter and nodded their heads for me to continue.

"He ended up finding me here in Seattle. However, now I had met Alice and Bella already. These two being the great friends they are immediately noticed the difference in my behavior. They wouldn't let it rest until I finally told them my story."

"How did he get out of jail?" Edward asked interrupting my story.

"His mother and father are extremely wealthy people with connections. That's why I made sure I got out of there while he was still in jail." I answered.

"And his friends?" Jasper asked.

"Still locked up," I responded.

"How long ago was this?" Emmett asked.

"Almost a year ago." I answered "He was following me everywhere. He wasn't bold enough to make any moves because he wasn't supposed to leave the state of Texas. His parents were powerful enough to get him out of jail, but not powerful enough to avoid probation."

"Also, because once we knew what was going on, we didn't leave her side." Alice stated "She didn't even sleep alone. We went just about everywhere with her."

"It's true, they did." I confirmed "But there was one night where they couldn't be there. He took that opportunity to try and finish what he started. The moment I realized something was off I sent a message to Bella and Alice."

"What happened?" Emmett was the one to speak this time.

"He tried to kill me. Again. But this time I wasn't some defenseless little girl, I used the training that I had to hold him off until one of the girls got there. Alice was the first to arrive and tried to get him off me, but he ended up knocking her out."

When I said that I noticed Jasper clench his fist on the table.

"His hands were around my throat in no time and I had lost the control I once had. I started to panic. My vision started to go black. That's when Bella came rushing in. He was so engaged in trying to kill me that he didn't notice her presence. With the little energy, I had I pointed at my night stand, I had let the girls know that I had a gun in my nightstand drawer for protection." There was a silence that fell over the room.

"Being raised by a cop gave me the advantage of no missing a target," Bella spoke up.

"You shot the scumbag, so what? He was attacking your friend." Edward said in an attempt to justify shooting Royce.

"I shot him three times and killed him." Bella's voice was shaking.

"It was self-defense," Emmett said.

"Yeah, if Rose or Alice would've shot him. I had just gotten there. They would've asked why I didn't try a non-lethal method first."

"Also, the gun wasn't registered to me. I had bought it from one of Anthony's secret friends. I knew that if I had bought a gun legally, my name and address would've been registered in the system. I couldn't risk him finding me any quicker than he did." I paused for a breath. I could see the understanding on the guy's faces.

"What did you do?" It was Jasper's turn to speak up this time.

"We got rid of the body." Alice stated plainly.

"How?" Edward asked.

We were silent. None of us wanted to answer this question.

"How!?" He nearly shouted.

"Once Alice came to we worked in shifts cutting his body into pieces. After that was done, we burned every piece to a crisp, we then soaked the parts in ammonia to make any remaining DNA inadmissible. Once we felt comfortable with what we had, we went on a road trip to get rid of his body." I answered his question.

"When we got back, I used the knowledge I collected from my dad being an electrician and set Rose's house on fire to get rid of the remaining evidence." Alice spoke up again.

There is was my story, our story. The secret that was once shared amongst three was now a secret shared amongst six.

Again, the room fell into what seemed like an endless silence.

 **AN: There it is. Rose's story. I know that this was different from my other chapter's but I hope you enjoyed it a little.**

 **I will try to do better at posting chapters on a consistent basis. For now, I must work with the time I have. Please know that I am always thinking about this story.**


	15. Long Car Ride Home

Chapter 15

 **Bella POV**

I don't know exactly how long we were silent for. The guy's faces were completely blank of any emotion, but their eyes were wild with questions.

"You ladies are telling me that in one night you racked up enough felonies to go to jail for life?" Emmett asked.

"Yes." The three of us answered at the same time.

Rose was so nervous that he legs were bouncing out of control, Alice was biting her nails, and I was gnawing at my bottom lip like I hadn't eaten in days.

It was a miracle that the guys were still here, and even more so since they hadn't kicked us out.

Emmett looked at Rose again "So the scares…?" He started to ask.

"They're from him." Rose said.

"What about this call you made? Who's coming?" Edward asked.

"Anthony will be coming with some of his friends." Rose answered, "He's met Charlie before and is very fond of him." She followed up.

"How do you know that his family isn't going to consider you as a suspect in his disappearance?" Jasper quickly followed with another question.

"They have risked almost everything to protect him and get him out of jail. They have three other kids and a reputation to protect. If they were concerned about him and thought I had something to do with it, they would be making my life a living hell right now." Rose said with confidence "Even if they did come to look, they wouldn't find anything we made sure of that." She finished.

"Holy crap. You three are serious." Jasper said in disbelief and realization.

"Yeah, we are. Why would we Joke about something like this?" I asked frustrated a little.

"Why? Do you want to know why? Because only crazy people can cut a man up, burn him, and spread his body parts across the country. Then just sit and tell the story to their boyfriends like it was just another day." This was the most worked up I have ever seen Jasper.

"You think we aren't affected by that day!? I still have nightmares about that night. I still sleep with a night-light because of what we had to do. However, I know that in that moment it was either him or us." Alice's energy was now matching Jasper's.

I had never seen Alice so enraged. I also didn't know that she still had Nightmares about that night.

It's only fair that she has this secret. Just because we are best friends, doesn't mean that we must tell each other everything, especially about how that night affected each of us. The girls don't know but I haven't been able to pick up a gun since that day.

Charlie and I used to go to the gun range on a weekly basis for some bonding time. We did this Every Saturday since I was a Freshmen in high school. The first Saturday meeting up with my dad after that night was scary.

 **(Flashback)**

 _I am currently sitting in my car staring at the building that has become so familiar to me over the years. This used to be a place I could get frustrations out, I knew that no matter what was going on in the outside world I would always be able to hit my target here._

 _Just like I did two weeks ago._

 _Would I be able to do this? I canceled on my dad for the first time last week. It was still too soon and now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure that now is the right time either._

 _I must have been deeper in thought than I seemed because suddenly there is a tapping on my window. I jump and scream in absolute terror._

" _Whoa, Bella, It's just me Charlie. You remember me, right? I'm your father." He had his hands raised in the air like there was a gun pointed at him, but the smile on his face showed his enjoyment in being able to scare me._

" _Jesus Charlie! Can't a person think in peach?" I snapped without a second thought._

 _I could tell that Charlies wasn't expecting my response to be that harsh by the way his smile fell. How could I blame the guy? I usually laughed with him when he succeeded in scaring me._

" _I'm sorry!" I responded almost immediately "I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm still not feeling well from last week, I have a migraine, and I didn't have a good week at work. However, that doesn't give me any right to snap at you like that." I followed quickly._

" _It's alright Bells. If you want to do something else instead, I'm alright with that." Charlie responded in a sweet and caring tone._

" _I can make it through an hour of shooting." I hope I thought to myself._

" _If you're absolutely sure, Bella." Charlie stated hesitantly_

 _I got out of the car and walked into the building. Instantly there was a tightening in my chest. I took a deep breath and continued through the check-in process._

 _Charlie took the guns and headed towards the door in the back that hid the huge shooting range. I followed behind and with every step, the feeling in my chest increased and my breathing got more labored._

 _When we walked through the door it felt like my lungs couldn't expand enough to take in the much-needed air. I tried to talk deep breaths, but it wasn't working. Charlie was in front of me completely oblivious to the panic attack that was quickly becoming inevitable._

 _He set my gun and gave me ammo to load it up. I could faintly hear him talking in the distance, but I didn't have any clue as to what he was saying. He could have been telling me that he was a secret spy and it wouldn't have made a difference._

 _I just stood there, looking at the gun. It was as if I was waiting for it to get up and load itself._

 _Then suddenly I hear the clicking noise of Charlie cocking his gun then the overwhelmingly loud sound of a bullet being released from the chamber._

 _In that moment, I no longer had control over my body. I couldn't catch my breath, the room was spinning, my lungs burned, and I was nauseous._

 _I moved towards the door but fell to the ground and the world started to get dark._

 **(Flashback over)**

I woke up in the hospital a few hours later with another killer headache.

It was silently agreed upon that we wouldn't go to the gun range again.

"Bella!?" Edward yelled getting my attention "It would be nice if you could stay present for this conversation." The was a bite in his tone that I didn't like.

As a matter-of-fact, I didn't like the bite any of the guys had.

"Look, I understand that this entire story is a bit shocking to you three but we have already punished ourselves enough. We don't need you guys trying to punish us too." My temper was starting to rise.

"That's not fair and you know it!" Emmett spoke up this time "You can't honestly expect us to be completely alright with this. We just found out our girlfriends are MURDERERS!" He finished emphasizing the last word.

"Once again that is something that we know, but I completely agree with what Alice said, it was either him or us." Rose wasn't hiding the frustration in her voice and she wasn't backing down. She looked Emmett directly in the eyes and said: "Would you have wanted us to die that night?"

The silence that followed spoke volumes. The guys knew that we were right. That's what's so fucked up about this entire situation.

We were right.

No matter how you phrase it or how disgusting our actions were, we had to do what we had to do. There was no alternative. He would've kept coming back if we hadn't killed him.

"Back to Anthony, what is he going to do to Jacob?" Edward broke the silence.

"He is going to teach him a lesson. He is going to make it clear to leave Bella and everyone she loves alone." Rose's words were thick with venom and truth.

"Violence will get us nowhere." Edward quickly followed.

"Words landed Charlie in the hospital. Violence is the only way you can get through to this kind of crazy." Rose responded.

"Violence will only make things worse." Edward said.

"And doing nothing will make us look weak." Rose wasn't going to back down.

Neither was Edward.

"You guys don't have to do anything if you don't want to get blood on your hands. We will completely understand, but please know that I am not just going to sit back and do nothing." I spoke up interrupting whatever Edward was about to say.

The was a pause. I could see that the guys were checking to see if I was for real.

"Jesus Christ!" Jasper sighed in frustration.

He was the smartest one out of the three of them. He knew that a line in the sand had just been drawn. It was either fight with us or move aside and keep your mouth shut.

No matter how much that night affected us negatively, it also empowered us in many ways. We knew that the three of us combined had the strength to defend ourselves. We didn't need our boyfriend's approval. This was our choice.

"You three are actually going to do this?" This was a rhetorical question the Jasper asked.

"Bella has always been there for me. She risked everything to help me. I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't do this for her. Also, Charlie is like the father I never had, do you honestly think I can sit back and cry?" Rosalie had an offended tone to it.

The back and forth was getting old. I knew that the guys would have questions, but I didn't think that we would get crucified for our past.

I let out a deep sigh and looked down at the table. The spread of food had been forgotten and was now cold. I looked outside and noticed that the night had completely passed us and morning was once again approaching.

I looked around and saw that dark circles were forming under everyone's eyes and I'm sure that I wasn't an exception.

"It's 3:30 in the morning, can we pick this up once we've eaten and slept?" I asked.

"I'm so disgusted with the three of you that I don't even want to be in the same room with you anymore." Emmett said pushing his chair back harshly and standing up to walk out of the room.

I could see how hurt Rose was by what he said. She was holding it in, but once we were alone she would breakdown.

"I think it's time you ladies went back to either Rose's or Alice's apartment." Edward followed Emmett out of the room after he spoke.

If they listened carefully they would've heard my heart-shattering.

Jasper sat there quietly looking at the table, you could tell he was refusing to look at us. After a few minutes, he got up and left the room. Never looking at us or saying anything.

The three of us didn't say anything to each other, we simply got up and walked to the front door. The guys were nowhere in sight.

We walked out of the house without knowing whether we would ever see them again.

This was going to be a long car ride.

 **AN: Let me know what your stand is on the girls choice.**


	16. Temporary

Chapter 16

When the three of us were in a car together there was usually music blasting and we would be singing at the top of our lungs. That wasn't the case today.

The radio was off and our voices were lost in the silence of heartbreak. We had to keep it together long enough get to Rose's house.

It was our rule, when we needed to comfort each other we would meet at her house. She always had the most wine, ice cream, movies, and comfortable sweat pants. Those were all things we needed.

As expected the car ride was unreasonably long.

The closer we got to her house the more I could feel myself losing control of my emotions. I knew the girls were the same way because I could see Rose swiping at defiant tears that had escaped, and I could hear subtle sniffles from Alice in the backseat.

A few minutes later we reached her apartments parking garage. As soon as the car was off we hopped out of the car and quickly walked to the elevator. In the minute and a half, it took us to get to her floor we had all spaced out, the ding letting us know we had reached our destination made the three of us jump.

Rose quickly found her keys and was struggling to get the key in the lock.

She had officially reached her breaking point. After the long night, we had, I'm surprised that she made it this far.

I took a deep breath and reached for the keys. She looked up at me with tear filled eyes. I'm sure that was also part of the reason she wasn't able to get the key in the locks, she probably could barely see it.

She pressed the keys in my hand and moved out of the way. I unlocked the door and let it swing all the way open.

Alice was the first one to step foot into the apartment. I could instantly see her shoulders slump over, Rose followed and almost the same thing happened, I was next and instantly understood what happened. Exhaust instantly took over my body. The hurt I was previously feeling in the hallway transformed into a sudden need to sleep. I was struggling to keep my eyes open and the girls were the same way.

I turned to close and lock the door when I turned back around Rose and Alice were making their way to Rose's room. She had a California King bed and in a world that was mocking us, it was the one thing that was accepting.

Rose reached into her bottom drawer and pulled out extremely large shirts and soft cotton sleep shorts. She threw one of each at Alice and me.

We silently got dressed and crawled into her bed. I was in the middle, I'm always in the middle we like it this way.

Alice and Rose snuggled close and we fell asleep together.

 **(later that morning)**

I open my eyes and see that the sun had risen and is trying to shine through the blackout curtains, but was only succeeding to peek through the top and bottom of the panels.

Alice and Rose were still asleep next to me. I sat up on the bed and looked at the alarm clock on Rose's nightstand.

 **10:30 AM**

Six hours was as good as I was going to get.

I crawled to the end of the bed and carefully got up.

I started searching for my purse but quickly realized that I left it at Edward's parents' house.

Great.

I let out a deep frustrated sigh and made my way to the kitchen. None of us ate last night and I know that the girls are going to be hungry when they wake up.

I looked through the fridge and could find eggs, bacon, and bread. I looked in her cabinets and found Cinnamon, nutmeg, and my secret for the perfect French toast.

I pulled out Rose's iPod and clicked on my playlist.

Walk Through The Fire by Zayde Wolf (feat. Rulle) started playing. The smooth sound of the powerful music filled my thoughts. This was one of my favorite songs. It always allowed me to zone out and completely forget about everything that was happening.

I started cooking the bacon and went into autopilot. Cooking was a thoughtless action for me. I always cooked for Charlie and myself when I lived with him. The kitchen was my sanctuary in a way. I was good at cooking and I knew this. Familiarity is what I needed.

There had been so much fucked up shit that has happened, I needed some me time to process.

Before I knew it I had finished the French Toast and was working on the eggs.

Always cook your eggs last.

I was breaking the last egg when the door to Rose's room opened and both girls walked out in full zombie mode. I unplugged the headphones and plugged it up to the adapter the shad, the music now filled the room.

"Once the eggs are done you can eat." I announced.

They both nodded their heads and sat on the bar stools Rose had.

The room was silent while I beat the eggs, then suddenly…

"SHIT!" Alice shouted making both Rose and I Jump.

"What the hell!?" I blurted out looking at her like she was crazy.

"I'm sorry, I just realized that we are never going to learn about their Eleventh birthday." She explained.

"Are you serious? That's what you are thinking about?" Rose wasn't happy with Alice's train of thought "The most perfect men for us just kicked us out of their lives, and you're thinking about a stupid story?" There was a thickness of venom in her voice.

"I always thought that it would've been a good story to tell our kids. How their dads became friends, you know?" Alice's voice was small.

Rose's face softened once she realized what Alice was really thinking about. There was an entire future that all of us saw with those men, a future that now seemed distant and foreign with anyone else. Weddings that will never happen, kids we will never have, adventures that we will never take, and a life we will never live.

Before the girls could see my eyes fill with tears, I picked up the bowl and turned toward the stove to cook the eggs.

I couldn't lose it. Not now. I had to keep it together. The girls were going to need me and my strength. Charlie was going to need me to be strong also.

I needed to check on Charlie.

I finished cooking the eggs and platted the rest of breakfast on three plates.

"Rose, do you think I can use your phone to call the hospital? I need to check on Charlie." I asked.

"Absolutely. Let us know how he is doing." She stated with a full mouth of bacon.

I went over to her purse and pulled out her phone.

 **25 missed calls** flashed on the screen.

Holy shit.

"Rose I think someone is trying to get ahold of you." I handed her the phone.

She looked at it with curiosity.

"One call from Anthony, the rest are from Esme." She said looking at with a confused look on her face.

"Why would Esme be calling you?" Alice asked.

"Beats me. Let me call her and find out." She hit the call back button and put the phone on speaker.

The phone rang a few times before a frantic Esme picked up the phone.

"Oh, thank God! I was starting to get worried. How are you girls doing?" Esme genuinely sounded worried.

"We've been better." Alice said in a monotone voice.

"I bet. It took a lot of guts for you ladies to tell the boys your story." She said in a knowing tone "Give them time. They will come around."

"You honestly believe that?" I asked skeptically.

"Well, I hope they come around." Honesty dripping from her voice.

"That's what I thought." I said.

"Bella, I have your purse. I was thinking I could come and give it to you today." She offered.

"That would be great, Esme. I'm going to be at the hospital later today, if you want to meet there?" I suggested.

"That would be great. I have to bring Carlisle his lunch." She Agreed quickly "Girls, I really am sorry for the boys' reaction. I gave them an earful if that makes you feel any better." You could hear the desperation in her voice. She was trying to make us feel better, but it wasn't going to work. I think deep down she knew that, but it didn't hurt to try.

"I wish that would make us feel better, but I think this is only something that will heal over time." I spoke for all of us.

The room was silent with all four of us accepting that if Esme couldn't get the guys to see reason, nothing would unless something drastic happened.

"We will see you later Esme." I said letting her know that this phone call needed to end. It was having the opposite effect she was wanting it to have.

"Alright. See you later." She said, then the line went dead.

"Did she honestly call you 25 times to tell us that bullshit?" Alice spoke up this time.

"I guess." Rose said continuing to stuff her face.

"You should call Anthony back." I told her.

"It better not be any more BS information. I just want to finish my French Toast." She hit the callback button once again.

The phone rang a few times once again.

"Hey, Blondie!" Anthony's deep voice came through the speaker brightening our lives for a few seconds. He seems to have that effect on everyone. He always had an optimistic tone to his voice and it made you feel that same way while he spoke.

"What's up? Why'd you call?" Rose said cutting out the small chat.

"Whoa, what has you in a mood?" He asked.

"Our boyfriends just broke up with us and she has a plate of my French Toast in front of her." I said informing him.

"Oh, well if that is the case I will get straight to the point then. We finished our job sooner than we thought, we will be there in about five hours, is that alright?"

Finally! Good news.

"YES!" The three of us said together.

"Do you need somewhere to stay?" Rose asked.

"No, Garrett and I have a house there. Where do you want to meet?"

"The hospital, we will be there around the time you land." I responded.

"Sound great, we will see you then."

"Alright, bye." Rose said ending the call.

"Garrett and he are officially together now?" I asked.

"With a dog and everything." She said stuffing her face.

"Dear Lord, Bella. You know how to make some French Toast. This was needed." Alice confessed.

This was something she said every time I made French Toast. No matter how many times she told me, it would always make me feel good. Including right now. Proof that I can do something right.

"Would you mind if I stayed here, Rose?" I asked nervously.

"Of course not! I can't believe you thought you had to ask." She responded fiercely.

"Good, can you also take me to my house so I can get some clothes?"

"Yeah, I think it's only safe to be at the house in a group. At least until we take care of Jacob and his friends." Alice said.

"So true." Rose said in agreement.

 **(2 hours later)**

We are now in front of Edwards house. His car is in the driveway. We first got here thirty minutes again, but we were waiting to see if he was going to leave.

Apparently not.

"Will you two come in with me? Not that I think he will hurt me, but I can't face him alone." It was the truth.

"Yeah, sure sweets." Rose said.

We got out the car and started to walk towards the house.

The door still hadn't been fixed. There was only the screen door.

I took a deep breath and reach for the door. Trying to open it as quietly as possible, but that it seemed louder than it usually is. I paused for a moment to see if that got his attention.

After a minute, I realized that I was in the clear.

I started making my way up the stairs. When I reached the top I saw Edward sitting on the couch. He was very still and didn't move to look at me.

"Edward?" I said trying to get his attention.

"Please, don't. Just get what you came for and leave." He stated and made his point clear by getting up and going to his room and slamming the door closed behind him.

I was stuck where I stood. The world around me was becoming more unfamiliar by the second. It's hard to believe that just a few days ago, I was happily in love. Now I can barely say "It's complicated".

"That bastard is still ruining our lives from the grave." Rose whispered under her breath.

I simply scoffed because of all the things that could've brought me back to reality, that would be the comment my brain zeroed in on.

"Let's just get some stuff and go. I don't want to make him feel uncomfortable in his own house." I said.

"You live here too." Alice stated with confidence.

"Temporarily." I simply responded.

That word put everything into perspective. We had all forgotten that I had only signed a six-month lease.


	17. Irreparably Broken

Chapter 17

Once I collected enough clothes to last me a few weeks, we quickly left the house. I didn't want to spend any more time in the house than I needed.

We loaded into Rose's car and she sped off towards the hospital.

We were in the house for about an hour. In that hour, I didn't see Edward. He stayed in his room. The house was silent and thick with tension. The three of us moved carefully, afraid that if we made to much noise that it would disrupt the fragile "peace" that had been formed.

I didn't lose control of my emotions though. I kept it together. I did my best to avoid looking at the patches of carpet that had been ripped up. The patches were proof that the events that took place a few nights ago, were real.

Had it only been three night? It felt like I had been living in this hell for years.

I felt my eyes start to well up, I rolled the window down and let the cold air assault my face, erasing any tears that had formed. The Seattle air filled my lungs as we drove along the freeway.

"After we are done with all of this, we need to go on a girl's trip. Get out of Seattle. What do you girl's think?" I had to raise my voice for them to hear me over the rushing air.

"I think that is a great Idea. We can quit our jobs and just run." Rose said looking ahead at the road, but I could tell her mind was thinking about something else.

"Running sounds great. At least for a while." Alice offered up her agreement.

"It's decided. Once we are finished with this Jacob stuff, we are getting the fuck out of Seattle." I stated with finality.

The three of us loved this city. It was home to us, it has shown us love and welcomed us with beautiful Summers and _Singing In The Rain_ Winters, but movement was needed.

The rest of the car ride was quiet. All of us thinking about our next move.

We were able to find parking relatively quickly at the hospital and made our way up to ICU.

I never liked hospitals. Not just because I spent so much time here while growing up because of my clumsiness. I hated the hospital because no matter how many lives were saved, how many babies took their first breath, or how many breakthroughs happened within these walls I could always feel death lurking around the corner and hiding in the shadows.

"What do we day to the god of death?" Rose whispered next to me. She knew my thought process so well.

"Not today." I answered.

"You two are such nerds." Alice said jokingly next to me.

"It's not our fault you don't watch the best show that has ever been on TV." I responded to her comment.

"Y'all know I don't like blood. Besides, almost everyone you two liked died! Why would I want to watch a show like that?" Alice quickly stated defensively.

She had a point. No matter how much I hated to admit it, She was completely right. Game of Thrones had ripped out my heart and stomped on it a million times, but I kept going back for more.

It's such a good show!

"Something tells me that with recent and upcoming events, you may come to the dark side." Rose teased.

"The night is dark and full of terrors." I followed with another quote.

"I swear, you two are as creepy as The Shining twins." Alice said.

The elevator we were on dinged. The mood quickly changed from light and friendly, back to the heavy, dark, and depressing mood we were in before.

We got off and started to walk down the hall.

The familiar sterile scent filled my nostrils, the crappy fluorescent lights were dim and starting to give me a headache. After a few minutes of walking, we were standing outside of Charlie's room.

I wanted nothing more than to run as far away from this room as I could, but I knew that I had to face this if I wanted to make Jacob pay for what he did.

"It's alright, Bella. Take your time. No one is going to force you in there." Alice said rubbing my back with her tiny hands.

"I know, it's just so hard. There were wires and tubes everywhere. It was like he was half man, half medical equipment." I started feeling tears fill my eyes again. I did my best to fight them off again, but this time a few escaped.

I quickly swiped them from my cheeks.

"It's going to seem like that for a while." A deep voice suddenly came from behind the three of us.

We all jumped and turned around at the sudden presence of Carlisle.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you ladies. I was coming up to check on him." He said with sympathy in his eyes.

"It's alright." I said once I could catch my breath "How long do you think he will be like that?" I asked wanting some kind of timeline.

"It's hard to say. He was in terrible shape when he arrived. He has improved, but only a little, which isn't much better than he was. If he woke up in a week, I would be shocked." Carlisle paused and studied my face. I could tell that he was looking for something, he must've found it because he continued "I have been in the ER for fifteen years. I have seen people come in with all types of injuries, both life-threatening and minor. I know what it looks like when someone was trying to send a message, and when they are trying to kill someone. Whoever did this to Charlie was trying to kill him." I could see in Carlisle's eyes that he was telling me the truth. There was no sugar coating this situation. The fact that Charlie lived, was a freaking miracle.

"I greatly appreciate everything you have done for my father. It truly means the world to me." I said meaning every word.

"No problem," Carlisle paused for a moment after "and Bella about my son…"

I quickly cut him off "Not right now, Carlisle. I can only handle one thing at a time and right now it's Charlie's turn." I said in a sharp tone.

Carlisle simply nodded his head and said goodbye.

The three of us turned back around to Charlie's door. I had enough of just sitting out here being scared. With shaky hands, I reached for the small crack that had been left and slid it open the rest of the way. I stepped in and pushed the curtains open.

It was extremely odd to see this man I had thought of as a giant my entire life, look so small in that hospital bed with the wires and tubes going everywhere. No matter how much of an introvert Charlie was, he always had a presence about him. He was sure of himself in almost every part of his life. He loved me, his job, and himself. He never needed assurance from anyone that he was a good man. He stepped up to plate and made sure that I was taken care of. Seeing him like this only solidified the fact that Jacob needed to pay for this.

I walked over to his bed and sat in the chair next to him.

"Hi, dad. It's me. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to see you yesterday, there were a few things I needed to take care of. I'm sorry that this has happened because of me." I grabbed his hand, leaned forward and whispered in his ear "Please don't leave me. I need my dad. I'm trying to be strong, but if you leave me it will forever break me. So, I need you to fight. I know it will be hard, but I need you to fight." As I said that more tears escaped my eyes. I didn't do anything to fight them.

Once I said what I needed to say, I gently kissed his forehead and walked back to the door. I let Rose and Alice have their time with him. Just as Alice was finishing Esme walked up to me with my purse on her shoulder and a casserole dish in her hands.

"I'm so glad I caught you. I didn't mean to get here so late, I got stuck in traffic on the 405." She explained.

"I totally get it. No worries." I said taking my purse off her shoulder "Thank you for bringing this to me. I freaked out a little this morning when I couldn't find it." I shared with her.

"Don't mention it. I'm here all the time." There was a pause, I saw her eyes dart behind me to where Charlie was laying "How is he doing?" She asked.

"Carlisle said he is slightly better, but that doesn't mean much. He's extremely lucky to be alive is what I gathered from Carlisle" I said simply.

"We will just have to continue sending positive vibes." She stated in a matter-of-fact tone, then she quickly remembered the casserole dish "This is Tuna Casserole for you ladies. I know that the last few days have been, eventful. A home-cooked meal could make anything seem better, even if it's for a small moment." She finished handing me the dish.

"Thank you. We really appreciate it. Neither Rose nor I know how to cook. Bella would've been the one cooking for the three of us." Alice spoke up.

Esme offered a polite smile.

Shortly after the exchange Esme said something about another engagement and said her goodbyes. I spoke with the nurses and confirmed the contact information they had on file in case anything went wrong.

We were walking back to the car when we saw two large men leaning against the hood with their backs turned. We were quickly on high alert until one of them turned around. His playful hazel eyes, strong beard covered jawline, and goofy smile was all too familiar.

"Anthony!" Rose blurted out "You scared the crap out of us for a minute." She said moving closer to him to exchange hugs.

"This was the most normal of the options." He responded simply.

Since Anthony still has unofficial ties to some top-secret government missions, he doesn't like to be in densely occupied spaces with lots of cameras. So him meeting us at the hospital had loose terms.

"You don't make it hard for me to find your car. You haven't been avoiding streets with cameras on them, you drive a new RED convertible in SEATTLE. It's remarkable how long I was able to follow you around the city without you noticing." There was a twinge of concern in his voice. From what Rose told me about Anthony, he treated her like the sister he never had and she saw him as a welcomed big brother.

"You honestly think I didn't see that Silver 2001 Toyota Corolla following me for 30 minutes? What was the license plate?" She asked in deep thought.

"XBH-333." Both Alice and I stated at the same time.

The look on Anthony and Garrett's face was pretty comical. The thought they had us, but we hadn't forgotten anything they taught us.

"The reason why I drove on the streets with the most camera, is for the same reason Charlie is in this hospital. Jacob Black. Your windows were tented and we didn't know if you were with Jacob or not. I didn't want to risk it, I knew that if anything did happen to us you would've found those tapes. You would've found the owner of the car and you would've made sure that they suffered." Rose's voice was cold and full of truth. We couldn't count on the guys trying to figure out what happened, they seemed to be on some major high horse at the time. We knew that we could count on Anthony and Garrett, though. They would always have our back.

"So Bella, this is your Ex?" Garrett asked.

"Yes. High school sweetheart turned psycho." I answered.

"Holy crap! Alice do you have any psycho Ex's that we need to know about?" He asked in a joking but slightly serious manner.

"Jasper was my one and only relationship. I've pretty much only had friends with bennies or one night stands. Nothing ever to serious." She responded. Which was true.

Alice had always said that she wasn't going to be in a relationship with someone unless she had a good feeling about them. Her feelings were usually never wrong and we never got on her about trusting her instincts. Sometimes we would sit around and talk about how we thought she was psychic. Part of the time joking and the other part throwing out examples backing up the fact that she could very well be a psychic, but I digress.

"Good. No more psycho boyfriends." He stated firmly.

"It's not our fault that they go crazy." I stated sharply crossing my arms over my chest. I'm pretty sure I looked like a bratty teenager.

"You're right. They are grown men that act on their own accord." Garrett's tune quickly changed.

After that exchange, we packed up into our cars and drove back to Rose's apartment. We told them everything in regards to Jacob from the beginning. Not skipping over anything.

"This guy likes to play mind games." Anthony stated to himself. He had leaned forward in the chair he was sitting in. His elbow perched on the arm of the chair and his head in his hand. His brow was furrowed. This was his thinking face. "How are your gun skills?" He asked after taking a few minutes.

"Good." Alice and Rose said.

Anthony nodded his head, then he looked at me.

"Bella?" He asked.

"I haven't been able to touch a gun since that night…" I said trailing off. They knew what night I was talking about.

"Are you serious?" Garrett asked in a loud tone. Clearly, he wasn't happy.

"We all have a thing that constantly reminds us of that night," Rose spoke "Alice has nightmares and is terrified of the dark and I still pass out at the sight of blood. You two should understand that the events that unfolded that night have had a lasting effect on us. We are doing the best we can." She finished.

"You're absolutely right." Anthony spoke up "I'm sure that Garrett didn't mean to be as harsh as he sounded." His jaw was clenched and was staring at Garrett with a 'really dude' kind of look.

In Anthony's eyes, Rose was his little sister. He love's Garrett there is no doubt about it, but he is extremely protective of Rose (understandably).

"So, all three of you are dealing with a break-up?" Garrett asked trying to switch the subject.

I would've rather he ask me about the weather.

"Yes." Alice answered sharply.

These wounds were still extremely fresh and we were desperately trying hard not to cower in a corner and lick them.

"Why did they break up with you at the same time? Bad luck?" Anthony asked.

"No. We told them about that night." I spoke while looking at the ground a fidgeting. I didn't want to see the disapproval.

There was a deep sigh released from someone, then I heard Anthony's voice. "How much of that night did you tell them?" He asked.

"Everything, except you being the one telling us about the ammonia, spreading his body parts, and setting the house on fire." Rose answered his question making sure he knew that their involvement in that night wasn't for us to tell.

Technically we weren't lying to the guys. Physically we were the ones to do everything, but the ideas came from an outside party. Without Anthony, we would've called the cops and been thrown in jail. Royce's parents would've made sure that we served the maximum sentence.

"Thanks." Was all he said.

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I was starting to get hungry. It was at that moment that Rose's stomach growled while she sat next to me.

I started to laugh "That's my signal to start working on dinner." I got up and made my way into the kitchen.

I grabbed the dish that Esme had given us out of the freezer. I quickly put it in the oven and started rummaging through the fridge for something to make a side salad. I made a not to go shopping for Rose later in the week.

While I was mindlessly fiddling in the kitchen, Garrett had pulled out his laptop and started tapping away fiercely on his keyboard. His nose was scrunched up and his leg was bouncing. He was clearly in the zone. The other three where in a conversation of their own and I didn't want to jump in.

I was in one of the moods where all I want to do in curl up into a little ball until the world forgot about me. I don't know why I thought I would be able to have a successful relationship. Who was I trying to kid? My own mother LEFT ME IN THE WOOD! If that wasn't a sign then I don't know what is.

It was times like these I thought about where the nearest bridge was (super dark, I know.) However, I'm not afraid to say that I'm stubborn and fight against those feelings.

These were my most private thoughts. I hadn't told anyone about these thoughts. I battle my demons every day. Just when I thought that I had found someone to confide in and share just how terrified these thoughts make me, I lose him.

What I said to Charlie was absolutely true, if he died I would completely break. There is only so much a person can lose before they lose their mind.

Irreparably broken.


	18. Family Secrets

**AN: I am going to warn you now, things are going to get far more intense before they get better.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 18

Anthony and Garrett had gotten settled in over the past couple of months, there hadn't been any change where Charlie was concerned, and the guys still refused to talk to us.

At this point, we had moved on from being hurt and sad to being angry. I mean, who are they to judge us for doing what we had to do to survive. It's easy to come up with a solution when you don't have a dead body in front of you, but if they were in our shoes they would've probably done the same thing.

I packed up my shit one day when Edward wasn't home and left my key on the kitchen counter. Rose and Alice did the same thing. We changed our numbers and got a nice (ridiculously expensive) apartment. Anthony helped us buy out our leases and wired the money to the designated parties.

Dr. Cullen and Esme have both tried to talk to us when we go to the hospital and visit Charlie, we eventually had to set the record straight:

 _(Flashback)_

 _Dr. Cullen and Esme were both walking towards us in one of the long halls of the hospital. They had tried to talk to Alice, Rose, and myself on multiple occasions about the boys. Both in the hospital and outside of the hospital, we had politely informed them that we didn't want to talk about it because we were still pretty hurt. However, now that we were hurt AND angry we needed to make sure they got the picture._

" _Jesus, do they not get it? We don't want to talk to them." Rose asked in her top bitchy voice._

" _Apparently not." Alice responded "It's kinda sad. Everyone had pretty much given up on us getting back together, except these two."_

" _Maybe they haven't noticed that we've seen them. We could walk towards the elevator and head to the parking lot." I offered a solution to the current problem at hand._

" _If we are going to do this, we better do it now." Alice said she had the best view of the situation from the cluster we were standing in._

 _I started to make my way to the elevator and the girls followed behind. We were trying to walk quickly, but not make it obvious that we were trying to get away from them._

" _Alice!" We hear the melodic tone of Esme's voice politely yelling "Bella! Rose!" she finished calling the rest of us._

 _We knew that it was loud enough and we hadn't made it far enough for us not to hear. So we stopped walking and turned around with the most pleasant look we could conjure up._

" _I'm so glad we caught you girls. We just wanted to talk. See how everything was going." Esme said in a genuinely friendly tone._

" _Everything is the same from when you asked us last week. I'm fine, Rose is fine, Alice is fine, and Charlie is still in a coma." I responded sharply because I knew what was going to come next._

" _Things aren't the same, Edward and the boys said that you three have packed your things up and changed your numbers. Do you think that was necessary?" She asked._

 _She can't be serious? Necessary? Are you fucking kidding me?_

" _Yes Esme, we thought it was necessary. It's been a month since we told them about our past. They haven't said more than a few sentences to us. We already have enough to worry about in our lives, we don't need to worry about them burning our shit in Edwards backyard for some kind of unjustified revenge." I said with annoyance dripping from every word._

" _I don't think they would've taken it that far. I honestly think they just need time to cool off." She was pleading with her eyes for us to understand as she said this._

" _That's fine, they can have all the time in the world to process, because we're done waiting." The more I spoke, the angrier I felt. I hope she takes a hint and lets the conversation die there._

" _Please, don't shut them out like this. They have never…" I'm sure she was about to give us an extremely good reason for why the boys are freaking out like this, but Rose didn't want to hear it._

" _Are you serious? US shut THEM out? I spilled my guts to them and told them everything about my past, and they kicked us out of the house. Edward gave Bella the cold shoulder when she went to get some of her things. Jasper hasn't said ANYTHING to Alice. Not. One. Word. THEY STARTED THIS!" Her voice had gotten louder as she went on finally ending in a yelling tone. There weren't many people around, but those that were around were trying desperately to not look like they were listening. She brought her voice down and continued "So don't give us that bullshit on how WE shouldn't shut THEM out."_

" _I'm sure they didn't mean for it to…" Carlisle spoke up this time but was cut off by Alice._

" _They didn't think that we would actually have minds and realize that we didn't deserve how they were treating us. Newsflash, the whole reason we are in this situation is because of bad relationships. We have learned from our mistakes, and trust me when I say we are NEVER going through that again." Alice finished._

" _Tell the BOYS they can switch their relationship status to single. Also, if it doesn't have anything to do with Charlie, we would greatly appreciate it if you didn't talk to us anymore." I didn't know any other way to phrase it, I just knew that it needed to be said._

 _Carlisle and Esme just nodded their heads with incredibly sad eyes. I could tell that they would respect our wishes, no matter how much it hurt._

 _We turned around and walked the rest of the way to the elevators._

 _(Flashback over)_

That was two months ago and we hadn't seen or heard from them in a while. I knew they still checked on Charlie though because there were always fresh flowers in the room, and the nurses would hand me a casserole dish once a week.

I would smile at the dish and be extremely grateful that they weren't upset at me for what I said. It made me feel slightly better that they understood where we were coming from.

I would write a 'Thank You' note each time I received a new dish. I honestly expected them to stop after the first month, but Esme kept leaving them and we kept eating them.

Anthony and Garrett started training us again once they were mostly settled. They were impressed by the little they had to go over with us again.

Anthony had been working with me on getting past my mental block when It comes to guns. We were making progress. I was now able to enter a shooting range without my chest tightening up, but I still wasn't able to physically hold a gun. Every day I told myself that today was the day, but I hadn't been able to do so. It was extremely frustrating.

I knew that once I was able to pick that gun up, we would be able to put our plan into motion but I couldn't do it.

I am currently staring at a gun, laying in front of me. It is loaded and pointed down range. All I have to do is pick it up, aim, and fire. Three simple steps that I had done thousands of times before with Charlie. I want to shoot this gun. I want to prove to myself that I can do it, but my body won't move to pick up the gun.

"It's alright Bella." Anthony said.

"No, it's not. I can do this, but my body just won't let me." I responded extremely frustrated with myself.

"The progress you've made in the last two months is more than anyone can ask of you. I'm willing to let you take your time." He said in the most supportive way he could.

"And let Jacob think that he got away with this?" I asked rhetorically "Absolutely not."

"Jacob isn't going anywhere. I have my guys on him. If he tries to run, they will stop him. He is practically a sitting duck." He lightly chuckled at the truth that was in the last part.

"I know, but the quicker we do this the quicker I can have my full attention on Charlie." I said.

"You visit Charlie every day. You have been at the hospital before for more than five hours. There isn't anything you can do there while he is still in a coma. It's good to turn your attention to something else, or else you would drive yourself crazy." He finished. He had a good point.

At that moment my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Miss Swan?" A female voice on the other line questioned.

"This is she."

"His Miss Swan, this is Nurse Jackie from the ICU." She introduced herself.

Over the last few months, I had gotten to know both the day and night nurses. They were a wonderful group of men and women that have taken fabulous care of Charlie. There have been many times where I bought them lunch as a thank you or made them cookies to snack on when they get a chance.

Nurse Jackie was among my favorites. She made sure to call me at least once during her shift, just to give me an update. She would also kick me out of the room when she saw me falling asleep at his bedside. Tell me that I'm not good to him exhausted, which she had a point. She was an older lady about mid 40's. Her hair was starting to get that salt and pepper look and she rocked it with pride. Her skin was a mocha color and was flawless. She had also mentioned on multiple occasions how she thought my dad was handsome.

"Oh! Yes. Is there something wrong with Charlie?" I asked starting to feel the panic rise from deep within.

"No!" She quickly cleared up "The exact opposite, he's awake." She said with a happiness in her voice.

(At the Hospital)

I was running through the halls with Alice, Rose, Anthony, and Garrett trailing behind.

I had been waiting for this moment for months, and it was finally here.

We quickly made our way to the Nurses station where Jackie was waiting for us.

"You made it here in record time for someone that had to drive through Tacoma." She joked as we were all breathing heavy.

"We skipped the freeway." I simply replied through labored breathing.

"Makes sense." She stated under her breath as if she was thinking it to herself "Come with me. He has been asking for you."

We walked to Charlie's room and there he was, breathing tube removed, far fewer wires than before. He now looked more like a man and less like a machine. There was a wide smile that took over his face once he saw me.

"Dad!" I said with excitement. I rushed in and gently gave him a hug.

"Bells, I am so sorry." He said placing his arms around me as well as he could.

"There is nothing you have to apologize for." I quickly responded.

"I do have something to apologize for, I let this carry on as long as it did. All of this is because of something I did years ago trying to protect you." He said in a tone full of regret.

I turned around and saw Nurse Jackie move everyone away from the door. Once it was clear she shut the door and stood guard. Like I said, she is one of my favorites.

"What are you talking about? Protecting me?" I asked confused.

"This all comes back around to your mother." There was malice in the word mother. He hated that word, but he hated her name more.

"What does she have to do with any of this?" I was nervous for what he was going to say.

"Your mother had a colorful past. Her parents died when she was young, the foster family that took her in were some of the worst people you would ever meet, but her social worker didn't believe her. When she was about fifteen years old she ran away and ended up in a sex trafficking ring. I couldn't even tell you the horrors she had to go through, none of which excuse the fact that she abandoned you in the woods." He finished his statement in a way that made him seem like he was proving his allegiance to me

"I met your mother while attending an N.A. meeting with a young teenager that I had busted a few times before. I could tell he wanted to get clean, he just didn't know how." There was a pause "I had attended this meeting a few times prior with this young man and had never seen her before. I thought she was absolutely gorgeous when I first met her, then I heard her laugh and it entrapped me. I wanted to know everything about her good, bad, and the ugly. However, it took me a few months to get the courage to talk to her." He chuckled at the memory. This was the first time in a long time that I had seen a smile grace my father's face while talking about my mother. "The kid, Ben, that I had been taking to these meetings made a deal with me. If I asked her for coffee, he would enroll back in school. This was a huge deal, I had been trying to get this kid back to school since the first time I arrested him." This was a story I had never heard before. I knew that my dad cared about the young lost souls of Seattle, but I just didn't know he did stuff like this.

"Do you still keep in contact with this guy?" I asked, curious about what the answer would be.

"No, I got him enrolled in school and not too much longer he had contacted his Aunt in Florida. He moved there after his first year of college, and I haven't been able to contact him since. I respect it though, he probably wanted to cut all ties with Seattle. Some pretty nasty stuff happened while he was up here. I did make sure he knew that he could call me at any time he wanted to, no matter how long the gap had been. I would send for him immediately. I also gave him the number of some friends I have down there." My dad said this with pride in his voice. This was a guy who had clearly made his mark on my dad.

"Was that a special occasion? Or do you do that often?" I asked another question.

"I'm known to buy a meal for a person in need when I see it. I became a police officer to help people, not to make people fear me." He responded in a simple tone.

I love this because I had no clue he did this, it shows that he doesn't do it for recognition, he does it because he truly cares.

"Back to the story. I'm guessing you can tell that I took him up on that offer. We went for coffee, we laughed and enjoyed ourselves. I asked her if she would be willing to do it again, she said yes and the rest went on pretty normally. We were both young but had lived a lot of life. She slowly opened up about her life, as did I. She didn't know her parents, but the parental figures she had were vicious wolves, waiting to devour any innocents a person has. She ran away at fifteen with some other troubled kids. They did fine for six months according to her, but they crossed paths with the wrong people one day and that was the end of the little freedom she had known." He stopped talking, I looked up from where I hands were connected to see tears coming down his face. I knew he never forgave my mother for what she'd done, but there was still a part of him that loved her. "It took five years before she freed due to an FBI raid." His voice cracked at the duration time she spent in a place like that.

I couldn't imagine spending five years as someone's sex slave. Having sex with all types of men or women who think they own you. Chills ran down my spine and my stomach turned slightly. Those people were monsters.

"We had a good life, you were the light in both of our lives. I remember she wouldn't have even wanted you outside without a coat if it was below sixty degrees because she feared you could get pneumonia." He chuckled at the thought, then his face fell "Things started changing six months before that night in the woods. She started getting more paranoid and agitated. I tried to see if someone tried to contact her, she denied it. I looked up the men she helped put away, and none of them were out or the had died while in prison. Then came insomnia and depression, the constant mood swings. I knew that mentally something was going on, I just didn't know what it was exactly. I tried to help her the best I could, but one day I woke up and saw her standing in your bedroom door while you were sleeping."

I opened my mouth to ask him the significance when he held up a hand to stop me. I could tell he was thinking about word choice.

"Just say it, dad." There was no point in beating around the bush.

"There was a very sharp knife in her hands, she also had this glazed over blank look on her face. She didn't become aware of my presence until I yanked her out of your doorway by the hand that held the knife. I shut your door and muffled her screams until she realized it was me. When that happened, it was almost like she woke up. When I asked her what she was doing, she couldn't remember had she had gotten the knife, or why she was standing in your doorway.

"I insisted that she seek medical help. I was fine until your safety became endangered, your safety is where I draw the line." He said those words with an intensity that matched the meaning of those words. I believed him too, there was clearly more behind the whole Jacob thing than I thought. "She found some help and answers, apparently your mother suffered from Bipolar Disorder. She was able to get on medications that helped until she stopped taking them. The night she took you into the woods, I had told her that if she didn't willing go back on medication, I would have her admitted. She had been Manic for a few weeks and I was exhausted. Never try to stay up as long as someone who is Manic, you will lose." There was a hint of joking, but also a real warning. "I had been living off of three hours of sleep a night and had been called in to cover a shift, I usually asked Mrs. Grant next door to keep an eye out for you. She knew of the struggles I had been having with your mom, but that day I completely spaced. I came home and the two of you were gone, no note, nothing. Just gone. I called it in immediately.

"When we found you unconscious, in those woods, my blood boiled. I couldn't believe that she had just left you there. At that moment she was dead to me. I wanted nothing to do with her, mental disorder or not, I wasn't going to risk your life." His face was contorted in anger. I knew that what she had done had always bothered him, I just didn't know how much until now "Three months later she broke into the house at night." I'm sure he could see the shock on my face, this was new information "I heard a window downstairs break. So, I grabbed my gun and first went to make sure you were still asleep, which you were. When I got downstairs there was an overwhelming scent of gasoline, and at the bottom of the stairs was a puddle."

Realization hit in that moment, she was trying to burn the house down. WITH US STILL INSIDE!

"She was so wrapped up in what she was doing that she didn't hear me come down the stairs or into the Livingroom. She just kept covering everything is gas. I still had my gun trained on her when she finally noticed that I was there. She said something about bad men everywhere, and how she had to kill you to protect you. I tried to reason with her, but she was beyond reason. I had to do something quick, so I went to restrain her. The moment I took a step towards her she reached for the lighter that was on the coffee table. It turned into an all-out fight. She was throwing punches and so was I."

I could tell that he was building up to something.

"During the struggle I grabbed a something off the bookcase, just to hit her with it." He said I knew there was more.

"And?" I pushed him to continue.

"I didn't stop at one hit. I just kept going. The anger I had felt for her leaving you in the woods came back on top of the fact that she had just tried to kill you again. By the time I was done she was dead." He was officially ugly crying.

I didn't know what to do, so I just hugged him. Little did her know, I understood exactly what he was feeling. I also know what it felt like to have someone you love disgusted by your actions to protect yourself and others around you.

"You shouldn't be hugging me right now. I just told you I killed your mother." Charlie said in shock.

"I Should be hugging you because you protected me. I understand that she had a mental disorder, but you weren't in a position to just run upstairs, grab me, and leave all before she started that fire. You had to do what was necessary." I said trying to comfort him.

I had never thought that I would be defending murder so much in my life. However, desperate times called for desperate measures.

"What does this have to do with Jacob, anyway?" I asked needing to know how this ties in with the current events.

"Billy helped me hide her body and clean up the mess. You stayed at Mrs. Grant's while we got the house back in order." He said in explanation.

I remember that week. I came back from eating non-stop junk food and watching cartoons with Mrs. Grant, to find that the entire downstairs looked completely different. He had painted the walls, change the flooring, gotten new furniture and all pictures of Renee had been removed. I also remember the windows being left open day and night and hearing deep wailing coming from the house.

When I told Mrs. Grant that someone was crying she said, "That's what happens when a soul has been ripped in half." I didn't understand what she was talking about at the time, but I understood now. My dad was mourning the love of his life. The worst part was that it was his hands that had taken her life.

Everything made sense in a way now, I had always felt like my dad had this dark cloud over him. There was something about his loneliness that made my heart ache for him.

"When Billy found out how Jacob felt about you, he made it a point to remind me of that night. Even though one wasn't needed. I was encouraged to push you closer to him." I gasped "Bella I am so sorry, I didn't mean for it to get to this point. If I had known what Billy and Jacob were capable of I would've turned myself in to avoid this." He was finished waiving around at the hospital room for an example of what he meant by "This".

"Don't worry dad, Billy and Jacob will get what's coming to them." I said with hated coating every word I spoke.

"What do you plan to do?" Charlie asked.

I stayed silent.

"Bella?" He questioned again.

"We're going to do what needs to be done. I'm done being a victim." I answered.

"We?" He asked, then his eyes shifted to the glass door. "Bella are you sure you want to drag them into this?"

"Dad, you would be surprised at how similar of a story we have." This was my answer to his question.

The look of shock that crossed his face would have been hilarious had it not been for the fact that we were talking about murder.

"Bella, please be safe. None of my life means anything, without you in it." This was his statement of approval.

I leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead to let him know how much I appreciated the approval.

Once we moved past the heavy I let me friends in the room. Alice and Rose both started to cry when Charlie said: "There my girls are." They rushed forward and gave him the biggest hug they could give him without hurting him.

Most of his wounds had healed while he was in a coma, but just seeing someone in a hospital bed makes you treat them like they're made of glass.

Anthony and Garrett were extremely happy to see Charlie awake. He had always accepted their relationship and never questioned the validity of it. He in a way was like a father to them also.

We stayed until Nurse Jackie couldn't make excuses for us anymore. I promised my dad that I would come back tomorrow as soon as I could.

The walk back to the car was silent but pleasant.

"What did you two talk about?" Rose asked.

My response was quick and simple "Family Secrets."


	19. Prepare for War!

Chapter 19

It had been a few hours since we got back to our apartment. I was in the middle of making dinner and telling everyone about the family secrets that had been discussed.

Anthony and Garrett were cuddled on the couch together, they never worried about showing affection around us girls. They knew we supported them one-hundred percent. Hell, we were the ones that convinced them to get together.

Alice had her feet tucked under Rose's butt with a glass of wine in her hands. Her back was to the arm of the couch so she could face me while in the kitchen. Rose was sitting crisscrossed on the couch, a matching glass of wine in her hands. She was listening intently to what I was saying…they all were.

To say that everyone was shocked by the plethora of information that was being thrown out there, would be an understatement. No one had expected the outcome of Renee's fate.

Like me it made them feel better to have Charlie's approval on getting Billy and Jake taken care of. My dad was usually the morally sound person (even with his recent confession) if he saw that this had more benefits than just letting them get away with it than we knew that we were on the right track.

"That makes Jake even more pathetic, he can't get a date without blackmailing someone." Alice snipped out.

"What's more pathetic? The fact that Jake had to blackmail Charlie into letting him date Bella? Or the fact that he had to ask his dad for help?" Anthony asked.

There was a pause as we all thought about his choices, I chuckled at the thought.

"His dad." Everyone in the room said at the same time in agreeance, which caused us to erupt into laughter.

At that moment both Anthony's and Garrett's phones went off. They sat up and reached into their pants pockets. Their screens were flashing red, and their faces went pale.

"What's going on?" Curiosity got the best of me.

"Jacob is at the hospital." Anthony said in a flat cold tone.

I quickly reached for my keys and purse making a break for the door. I heard four set of footsteps behind me moving quickly to keep up.

When we got to the garage there was an echo of familiar voices. I immediately stopped in my tracks.

"Bella-"Rose started to speak, but I held up my hand to cut her off.

"Do you think she will take the bait?" The familiar voice of Sam spoke out.

"Of course the little slut will take the bait." Paul answered in a menacing tone.

I took my phone out of my purse and sent a text to Nurse Jackie.

 _ **Get Dr. Cullen and don't let anyone near my dad. – Bella**_

She understood that the circumstances that brought Charlie in weren't exactly normal. She had caught me crying by his bedside once, apologizing profusely.

When she asked what I had to apologize for, I gave her the best answer I could come up with:

" _People from my past that want to hurt me used Charlie as a proxy."_

She didn't ask any further questions or say anything at all. She placed a hand on my shoulder with a look in her eyes, that told me she understood what I was saying.

She had the look of a woman that had been broken at one point too, but put herself back together and was stronger than she was before.

Thirty seconds after sending the message I got a reply.

 _ **Ok. - NJ**_

No questions.

We snuck back onto the elevator without being caught. Once we were one Anthony hit the button for the Lobby.

"Do you think they are going to try to hurt him again?" I asked with a shaky voice. The thought petrified me.

"I wouldn't put it past them." Garrett said in a truthful tone.

"SHIT!" I yelled, pressing the Lobby button hoping that this one time it would actually make the elevator go faster.

Finally, the elevator doors opened to the Lobby. Anthony pointed to the woman's bathroom telling us to go in. Even though I was in a rush to get to Charlie, I knew there was no point in arguing with Anthony. There was a reason for everything that he did.

Garret stood outside the bathroom, leaning against the wall like he was waiting for someone to come out.

A few minutes later Anthony came in and informed that there were some _interesting_ looking fellows outside the building. They clearly weren't lost but they acted like they were. The reason for the Oscar-winning performance they were putting on? They knew they couldn't get past the armed guard.

The garage was out of the question, and so was the front door…

"Side exit!" Garret and I said at the same time.

"Fire alarm" Alice quickly shot down.

"Not really." Rose smirked.

She took out her phone and sent a message to an unknown party.

Suddenly, a paper ball came flying out of nowhere. We looked in the direction it came from.

Adam the security guard had his arm up as if he had tried to make a shot with a basketball. He looked pleased then turned his attention back to whatever had occupied his attention before. Paying little mind to us weirdoes.

Anthony picked up the paper ball and a key fell out.

"It's to disable the fire alarm." Rose said simply, taking the key from Anthony and heading to the side exit.

"When did that happen?" Alice asked rushing after Rose.

"When we first moved in. It was supposed to be a quickie, but he is a pretty decent guy." She said shrugging her shoulders as she disabled the fire alarm.

"We will discuss this later." I stated firmly. There was no way she was getting out of this one

There was a gold minivan with the door open. The driver, however, did not look like the minivan type. He has a huge scruffy beard that had little grey hairs throughout, and broad shoulders that looked like they could carry the world. His face was scared and slightly wrinkled. You could tell he had seen many battles, both literally and figuratively. His eyes were a surprise. They appeared joyful.

"Did you call for an Uber?" He laughed as we ran for the open door.

"John, you couldn't have had better timing." Anthony hopped in the front seat and smiled at his friend.

"I got the same alert you did. Except I didn't make the rookie mistake of rushing out the door before checking the security footage." John stated in a slightly disappointed tone "If it wasn't for the fact that Blondie made friends with the security guard, I would've had to dispose of the two in the garage and miss my grandbabies dance recital." He finished with a huff.

"That was my fault." I spoke up from the piolet seat in the back behind the driver's side.

"I know young one. Next time take ten seconds before reacting. Things could've ended badly for everyone had you just rushed into the garage." He was absolutely right.

I looked out the window of the van in thought about my mistake.

"That's my sensible side speaking of course. If it was my family that was being threatened, I wouldn't have taken ten seconds either. That is why you always have a team that you can depend on. They can help you stay focused when you become overwhelmed." This was the wisdom of an experienced man. This was wisdom that I was grateful for. Not many people got this opportunity and I wasn't going to take it for granted.

"Trust me, John, I know I'm lucky to have a team like this." I spoke while looking at every person in this car.

They were all willing to risk their freedom and their lives to help me get rid of the beast from my past. Not many people were lucky enough to have friends like this. Honestly, not many people were lucky enough to even have friends to help them move. I had hit it far out of the park with my group of friends.

 **Charlie's POV**

Bella had left hours ago and Nurse Jackie had come in to keep me company.

She seemed like an extremely nice lady, her smile was my favorite part of her though. It seemed to brighten the room the instant it was shown. I smiled whenever she smiled. She was my night nurse and was the first one I saw when I woke up.

She and I were currently talking about everything and nothing. I enjoyed hunting and fish, surprisingly so did she. She told me that she had grown up in a hunting family and still went with her father brothers and nephews occasionally. She had been trying to put an all-women's hunting group together for a while but hadn't yet been successful. She said the only women she could find worked different shifts or had different days off. It was going to be too much of a fuss to get everyone together. Doctors and Nurses were some of the busiest people I dealt with in my line of work.

Nurses, Doctors, and Teachers, those were the people who saved the world in my opinion.

During our conversation, her phone buzzed. She excused herself and rushed to the nurse's station. She picked up the phone and harshly dialed a number. Something was clearly going on. Her eyes made contact with mine, she tried to hide her panicked look and smiled.

Whoever she was trying to reach, didn't answer the phone, so she tried again, again, and again until finally, she got through. She threw her hands in the air and started speaking into the phone hurriedly. She hung up the phone after a rushed conversation and sat down in her chair exhausted from the events. She swiveled her chair around and barked an order to the nurses that were talking amongst themselves. They all nodded in understanding.

I still couldn't hear a word that was being said.

Jackie then took a card out of her pocket and dialed a number from there, with the same harshness she had done before. She spoke into the phone with a far calmer expression, but I could still see hints of worry in her eyes.

I was starting to get frustrated with not knowing what the hell was going on. At that moment Dr. Cullen walked in. He was slightly out of breath and was hiding his worry better than Jackie was.

Dr. Cullen had been the second person I saw when I woke up. He was friendly and warm, he explained my injuries and that I had been given a second shot at life. He also informed me that my daughter had been dating her son and that they had broken up, but he still adored her.

It made me sad that they were no longer together. I know for a fact that he made my Bella happy, which is something I failed at doing because of my stupid mistakes and trusting the wrong people.

He assured me that he, his wife, and Jackie had all been looking out for Bella and the girls. They made sure that they didn't just stay by my side and worry themselves sick. That act of kindness alone made me indebted to him for eternity. Those girls were my everything.

"What's going on?" I asked, not giving him the chance to say anything.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. All I know it that I was ordered up here, by Jackie. If there is any advice I could give to someone, it would be to never cross that woman. She is well respected in this hospital and can make you suffer in unimaginable ways. I hear she even has contacts in the Café." There was a point he was trying to make by adding that last part, but I wasn't catching on.

"What does that mean?" I asked, confused by what he was saying.

"Here in the hospital majority of us live off coffee and actually enjoy the food. The prices aren't bad and we cherish our Café. _SHE_ has the power to make your latte with four shots of expresso a decafe coffee and your breakfast sandwich Vegan." He shuddered at that thought. I now understood what he was saying. She did hold a quite a bit of power.

Jackie had just finished her conversation with whoever she was on the phone with, and was heading to the room. She opened the door and let out a deep breath.

"What is going on?" I presented the same question that I had asked Dr. Cullen.

"Bella texted me and told me to get Dr. Cullen up here and not let anyone else in the room. I didn't ask questions because of how sudden it was. I don't want to distract her." She explained. This was clearly all the information she had because she was no longer acting shifty.

"And the second call you made?" I followed up.

"I was calling for back up. A few of your cop friends had let me know to reach out if we needed help. Something tells me we are going to need help." She stated simply walking over to the monitors on my side, checking to make sure everything was alright.

At that moment the door slides open and an unfamiliar person walked in.

He was tall and slender with black hair that was greasy and slicked back, his eyes were almost black and his skin extremely pale. My stomach turned at the sight of him.

"Dr. Volturi, how are you this evening?" Dr. Cullen asked, always being the polite one.

"I am well Carlisle." The lack of respect didn't go unnoticed.

"What can my patient and I do for you this evening?" Dr. Cullen decided to ignore the rudeness.

"I just came to make sure you weren't making any _mistakes_." Dr. Volturi answered. The emphasis on "mistakes" once again didn't go unnoticed.

Jackie stopped her fiddling for a moment then quickly resumed. The pause was quick and didn't seem to get the attention of Dr. Volturi. He was busy trying to stare down Dr. Cullen, who wasn't backing down from the challenge.

"I appreciate your concern Aro, but my staff is far more capable of caring for my patient. Your assistance isn't needed." Dr. Cullen responded.

I think I had heard Bella and the girls refer to that a 'Shade being thrown' or 'apply ice to that burn'. All I knew was that Dr. Cullen had gotten the point with that comment.

1-0 Dr. Cullen.

Behind Dr. Volturi, I could see Bella and the kids at the end of the hallway. They had been moving quickly but slowed once they saw that it wasn't just Dr. Cullen and Jackie in the room. I quickly brought my attention back to the situation at hand. I didn't want to bring attention to them. Something was clearly going on.

However, I wasn't quick enough. Dr. Volturi could see my attention was elsewhere and looked behind him. To my surprise, the group was gone. Clearly, they were better trained than I thought.

The girls might've thought that their lessons with Anthony and Garrett went unnoticed by me, but that was further from the truth. The boys had a conversation with me when they first started training the girls. They knew I was the father figure in all three of their lives and if anything went wrong, they were going to have to answer to me and my shotgun.

They told me as much as they could about the lives they lead and the skills they were capable of. They assured me the girls would always be safe with them by. I was eternally grateful for them at this moment.

Jackie moved from one side of my bed to the other, somehow tripping on air and falling into Dr. Volturi. They were fumbling about for a few minutes, he was clearly getting irritated with her, and I didn't feel comfortable with him being that close to her.

Once she had righted herself, he left the room in a huff.

"It's time for his mistress to make her way to his office, he should be busy for a couple hours." She said holding up his badge "He will notice at some point that this is missing, but not before his midday delight. I felt a syringe in his pocket. Dr. Cullen, you are his superior, you are able to override his password and see what was potentially in that syringe." She held out his badge to Dr. Cullen.

We both had shocked looks on our faces. I was not expecting her to know how to pick-pocket.

"What? You think Y'all at the only ones with a past?" she questioned with a smirk on her face.

"You and I will need to talk." I teased her.

Dr. Cullen cleared his throat and made his way over to the computer. Scanning the badge, it prompted for a password, which he gave. Then Dr. Cullen was clicking away on the computer.

I once again saw Bella and her group of misfits bounding down the hall, clearly being more cautious of their surroundings. Good.

"Holy shit." Dr. Cullen breathed under his breath.

At that moment Bella bust through the door.

"I know there is a lot to explain and I'm sorry to drag you all into this-" She immediately started when she came in but was cut off my Dr. Cullen.

"We need to either move you father or up his security." He spoke in a commanding tone, that didn't leave room for argument.

"Dr. Cullen, what was in that syringe?" Jackie asked beside me.

"There is no way to be sure, but the last thing I see him checking out from the pharmacy downstairs was Fentanyl, enough to kill Charlie seven time." He spoke the words as if he didn't believe them, but we all knew it was the truth. Even without evidence. Sometimes you didn't need to be proven guilty, you just were.

"I guess since the failed the first time, they were going to try it again." I said more as a thought, but everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"Charlie with your permission, I am going to release you into my private care." Dr. Cullen asked.

"Of course, I would much rather there not be a third time I almost die." My statement made everyone in the room laugh.

Suddenly Bella's phone rang.

What could it be now?

She showed the screen to everyone

 **JAKE** was plastered across the screen.

"How did he get this number?" she asked.

"It's listed as an emergency contact in Charlie's files. Anyone could've given it to him." Jackie responded.

Garrett pulled out a recorder and told her to put the call on speaker.

She pressed the green button and immediately put the phone on speaker and sat down next to the recording device.

"What do you want?" She spoke into the phone.

"I just wanted to say congratulation on winning this round. It seems like daddy dearest lives another day." His voice was unfamiliar and detached of any emotion.

"He practically raised you, why do you want to kill Charlie?" Bella asked with confusion on her face.

It was true, I had a large part in raising this boy. Which is what made this difficult, but I knew it was necessary.

"Because he tried to come between me and my property. I have no tolerance for a change of heart." His calm voice filled the room, but it did nothing to soothe our worries.

"Property!?" Bella's was furious "I am not your property or anyone else's for that matter. Besides after Edward, I'm pretty sure you would barely be able to get a sigh released from me. You always did have an issue with stamina." There was a smirk at the end of that sentence.

Insult, meet Injury.

Anthony held a thumb up with a proud look on his face.

"You think I'm playing games, Bella? Does the name Royce Kingly ring any bells?" The room fell silent and his menacing laughter filled it "Yeah, you didn't think I knew about that. Let's see how strong you are with that secret hanging over your head. You were always weak Bella, that's why I like you. You're easy to control. I knew that name would change your mind quickly. Now be a good little plaything and surrender to me. I promise to kill all your friends and Charlie quickly with as little pain as possible." He finished. You could hear he was proud of himself.

"Jake, if you are as obsessed with me as you claim to be you should know that you don't demand anything from me. You cheated on me in high school, I slept with your best friend and you came crawling back to _ME._ _I_ left _you_ the second time around. If that is what you call control, you suck at it." She looked around the room "and to further my point, you threaten my family and I can no longer show you mercy. Prepare for war." She finished in a cold, heartless tone. She hung up the phone, not giving him a chance to respond.

Those last three words seemed to echo around the room. Showing us the truth of the situation we were in.

 _ **Prepare for war.**_


	20. Shot's Fired!

Chapter 20

After the conversation we had with Jacob in my dad's hospital room, we finalized Charlie's care plan and where he would be staying. Carlisle would be going on 'Vacation' but was going to be at a safe house that Anthony would set up, that is also where Charlie would be recovering. Apparently, the 'Vacation' story was going to work because Carlisle hadn't taken a vacation in over three years. The administration had been pushing him to take a vacation for a while, he just hadn't been interested. They wouldn't mind the suddenness of it since Carlisle staff was incredibly capable of getting shit done without him. Apparently, he had some of the best Nurses in the state, and the Doctors that worked under him were well respected in the community in their own right. Also, what I've noticed since Charlie had been placed under Carlisle's care was that his entire staff were passionate about their patients, no matter what their financial situation was.

Carlisle had asked for permission to inform Esme of the situation. He said that he wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her behind. I had informed him that I thought it was a given that Esme would be there. Even though I hadn't known her long, she had been more of a mother to me than Renee ever was. I wanted to make sure she was safe also.

Carlisle had excused himself to speak with Esme and let her know to start getting ready to leave. I only hoped that he would inform her that the guys were not to know about any of this.

Anthony and Garrett were busy on their phones getting security teams in place at the beach house they would be staying at in Florida. He had said that Jacob and his crew were extremely local and the best bet to make sure none of them would be caught in the crossfire, would be to get them out of Washington completely.

I agreed.

Alice and Rose were going through the list of safehouses Garrett and Anthony had given to them. Our apartment had been compromised and that meant we could no longer stay there. Garrett had insured us that our leases would be bought out and to not worry about the financial side of things. There was currently a security team going to our apartment to make sure it hadn't been bugged. They were also packing up our clothes and personal items. Furniture would be left behind since it was easier to discreetly move smaller items in trunks of cars, then renting a huge moving truck.

I was currently sitting at the head of Charlie's bed holding his hand tightly. Neither of us was speaking, we were still mulling over the confessions we had shared and what was to come. Things had changed drastically. Eight months is all it took for my life to completely turn to shit. A fucking six-month lease turned into Eight months of my life imploding. The first half had seemed wonderful and like things might actually change, but that was just a façade.

I can't blame Edward for letting go so easily. We hadn't been together but for a few months, but I thought that when he told me he loved me that those feeling were rooted deeply in his heart, and not so easily removed. This is what happens when I let my emotion dictate my life. I need to start using my brain more, I should've listened to Alice and not pressured Rose to tell the entire truth. I should've chosen the other house with the Husband, Wife, and Kids. You know what they say about Hindsight is 20/20…yeah, go fuck yourself.

I looked around the room and saw a new determination amongst all of us. War was no longer a possibility, it was a reality. The events of the last few months had led to this moment. Past choices were had come back to haunt us.

Then a thought came to me.

"How did he know about Royce?" I asked.

The buzzing around the room stopped. Everyone looked at me with shocked expressions on their faces. That was a question that none of us had thought of until this moment.

"We were extremely careful in getting rid of his body. The three of us are the only ones that know where we disposed of him." I said motioning to Alice, Rose, and Myself.

"Do you think the guys said something to Jacob?" Alice asked with a frightened expression on her face. Their betrayal was the last thing we needed right now.

"I don't think so. They hate Jacob just as much as us. They are angry with you, not vengeful." Anthony answered.

"Aren't anger and vengefulness the same thing?" Rose followed up.

"If someone isn't careful the anger they feel towards someone can turn into vengefulness, but I'm with Anthony, those boys would never do that to you." Charlie spoke up for the first time in about an hour.

Carlisle walked back into the room.

"Sorry, it took as long as it did. I contacted The Administration to put in for leave. As expected they graciously accepted. Esme said that she will start closing up the house getting things in motion for our extended leave. Also, there is someone interested in joining our traveling team." He trailed off.

"Who?" Garrett asked. He had done an extensive background of the entire staff that had come in contact with Charlie. He knew everyone like the back of his hands. This was his decision to make, and I trusted him to make the right one.

"Nurse Jackie. It seems she would like to see Charlie's recovery all the way through, and after our suspicions of Dr. Volturi she thinks it would be nice to get out of town for a while since she was here." He explained.

"I completely agree, also she is probably the most trustworthy person here." Garrett agreed.

"Alright, I will add Nurse Jackie to the roster. Will she be able to get the time off?" Anthony responded looking up from his phone.

"Oh yeah, the Administration has been on her for a vacation much longer than I have. Last I heard she has about six months of vacation leave." Carlisle laughed.

"Jeez, don't you encourage time off?" I jokingly asked.

"Yes, but I have a dedicated team." He answered with pride in his voice.

"Everyone is aware that no one is to know exactly where we are going. Also, Esme is aware that the guys must be under the assumption that we are going on an extended vacation." Carlisle said, broaching a subject I wasn't sure how to bring up.

"Thank you, Carlisle. I'm sorry that you must lie to your family, but I trust you to take care of Charlie. I know that Anthony has a more than capable doctor on staff, but I know you." I started trying to show how highly I think of him.

"Bella, you never have to explain yourself to me. My wife and I think of you as a second daughter. All three of you are like the daughters we didn't get a chance to have. Please know that when I found out what the guys had done and even what they continue to do, I wanted and still want to gut punch all of them. Ever. Single. Time. I see them." He said with fire in his eyes. I could tell there was nothing but truth in this statement.

The last part made me chuckle. Carlisle could always maintain composure, but I could see that there was a tough side to him. It would just take a lot to bring it out of him.

"Alright almost everything Is set, transport will happen in a few days. This should allow Dr. Cullen and Nurse Jackie to finalize things here. Don't worry about talking to her Carlisle, Garrett and I will do that. There are a few things that we need to make her aware of. Also, when packing bring something for every type of weather. We are almost certain that they will break into your house while you are gone to see if they can find any way to find you. People don't usually think that the clothes you pack can be the biggest indicator as to where you are going. Another thing, don't look up anything about where you're going on any electronic devices. We are going to clear them once you leave, but until then nothing." Anthony stated.

"Got it." Carlisle said sending a text, I'm guessing to Esme to inform her of this information.

There was a knock on the glass door, we turned to see Jackie with a few large middle-aged men. I recognized them as being some of Charlie's cop friends. One of them Mr. Webber.

"Hey!" I greeted excitedly.

"Bella, it's good to see you again." Mr. Webber stepped forward to give me a hug "Charlie! You look much better than the last time I saw you." He said with a smile on his face.

"Duke! It's great to see you, man." Charlie said extending his hand for a manly handshake that they shared "You're back with SPD?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah. The twins needed an academic challenge and Angela is at UW." Mr. Webber said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Good luck with that tuition." Charlie laughed.

"Thanks, asshole." Mr. Webber responded then sobered up "We were contacted by your Nurse that back-up was needed?" he asked with a questioning look on his face.

"Yes." Anthony spoke up "We need you to watch Charlie while we are not here. He will be released in a few days, but there has already been a second attempt on his life and we can't risk him being alone." He finished.

"We can help with that." Mr. Webber spoke up "Sue will understand that a fellow brother needs the help, plus she always liked Charlie. He has saved my life on more than one occasion. This will also allow me to as Charlie a few questions about this guy that Angela has been dating." Mr. Webber said crossing his arms and looking about Charlie.

"What guy?" Charlie asked.

"Benjamin Chaney. Sound familiar?" Mr. Weber asked raising an eyebrow.

A huge smile spread across Charlie's face…I wonder…

"Dad, is that the kid you helped?" my curiosity overtook me.

"It sure is." He answered "I didn't know he was back in Seattle. I haven't talked to him in a while, but I have had some of my friends keep tabs on him. Don't worry Duke, he's a good kid. He had a tough upbringing, but once he was given the chance to change for the better he took it. Trust me, he appreciates everything good in his life because he knows what the alternative could be." Charlie informed Mr. Webber.

Mr. Webber just nodded his head.

"Since back-up is here we need to get back to the warehouse and put the finishing touches on our plan. Mr. Webber, only Dr. Cullen, Nurse Jackie, and this list of day Nurses are allowed new Charlie." Anthony informed handing a list and three other Nurses that had been thoroughly vetted.

"Under no circumstance should you let any of Dr. Volturi's staff in this room. Think of my team, but the complete opposite ethically. If Jacob got to Volturi then he for sure got to his staff." Carlisle said shaking his head in disgust. He also pulled a list from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Webber.

I felt a little guilty for asking these men for so much help.

"I want to make sure that you are all comfortable with this. I understand that this isn't exactly by the book, and could raise a lot of questions with your superiors. I would hate for any of you to get in trouble because my ex if fucking bat-shit-crazy." I said irritated by the amount of trouble was causing everyone, because he couldn't get a date.

"Bella, Charlie has been there without question for all of us. He has saved a lot of us from some pretty nasty situation, and he has looked out for our families when some of us were undercover. We have been cops for longer than most of you have been alive. This isn't the first time we have done something was against the rules." Mr. Webber spoke, then men behind him nodded in agreement "You aren't asking us to commit outright unjustified murder, you are asking us to have a brother's back against a very real threat. We are happy that you trust us enough to do this. We gave our number to the Nurse for this exact reason." He finished.

"Thank you! I will cook Y'all a grand dinner once all of this is over as a thank you." I promised.

"Include desert and you have a deal." One of the cops behind Mr. Webber, Officer Grant, responded.

I chuckled at his comment "You got it." I agreed.

It was no shock that the cops were aware of my cooking skills. I would frequently send cookies, cakes, pies, sandwiches, and many other food items with Charlie to work to share with his fellow Officers in high school. By my Senior year, I was getting requests for me to cater their kid's birthday parties, it was a great side hustle. I still got a few requests, but I hadn't been able to accept any of them since the shit-show started.

"We are going to move out. I have some of my men on the floor already in place as orderlies, let them know if you need anything. They are here to protect all of you." Anthony stated firmly. The men nodded their heads.

We informed Nurse Jackie of the plan and quickly left the hospital afterward.

On our way to the warehouse, I could only think of overcoming the mental block I had when it came to guns. That was going to change, today. I no longer had time to make progress, progress needed to happen right now. I needed to be the one to put down Jacob and Billy Black.

About forty-five minutes later we were at the warehouse, going over how everything was going to go down.

"My team has done some extensive research and found the base of Jacob's operation. It's bigger than we originally thought, but nothing that we can't handle. Apparently, Jakey-boy is a low-level thug trying to work his way up in the world. Currently, all efforts are directed at us right now which is great." Anthony said with a cocky smile.

"How is that great?" Alice asked confused.

"That means their worried about us. I don't think they have dealt with someone of our caliber before. Sort of a 'They made their bed, now they have to lay in it' situation. Some aren't too excited that they now have the attention of the cops, all because of a girl." Anthony chuckled "I don't blame them though, they did have a great thing going until Jacob's feelings got hurt. Now he is risking everything they have built. No offense Bella, you're amazing." Anthony followed up.

"None taken." I shrugged.

"They have about fifty men in total. There are four entrances with two guards at every door. We have Two normal doors in the North and South. Rose and I will be to on the South, while Laurent and Harry will be on the North. Then we have two garage-like doors to the East and West, Bella and Alice will be on the West Garrett and John will be on the East-" Anthony was cut off by Rose.

"You're telling me that there are forty-four men inside that building?" She asked flabbergasted.

"It's a 20,000 sqft warehouse that's two stories tall." He deadpanned.

"Oh." Was all that Rose said.

"There are two ways we can do this. We can go in quietly or with a bang, literally." Anthony said. It seemed like he was trying to pick his next words carefully.

"Just say it." Rose rushed.

"Quietly requires all of us using our sniper skills…" He trailed off looking at me.

A gun, which meant _**I**_ was the only reason there was a version with a 'Bang'.

An awkwardness blanketed the room. They were thinking the same thing, and I didn't blame them.

I let out a huff of frustration.

"Sorry Bells." Anthony stated sincerely.

"Tell us both versions." I commanded ignoring his apology.

"Well, the quiet version would be us, simultaneously taking one hell of a shot from about a hundred yards out." He said sheepishly.

"Oooh! That's all!" Rose busted out, throwing her hands up "Do you want us to curve the bullet also?" She finished a few octaves higher than her normal voice is.

I get why she was upset, that wasn't going to be anywhere close to easy. We had each only hit that distance a handful of times. This plan might be the quietest, but it was also one hell of a risk. Pulling this off would take some major practice, which would mean that we wouldn't be able to execute this plan for another month.

Could I put off my revenge for another month? Possibly. I honestly just wanted this whole part of my life over. We deserved some peace and quiet.

"I know that we can do this. We are some of the best shots I have seen. So good, it almost makes me wish you three were part of the business. However, I would worry about y'all too much." He stated, then continued explaining the plan "The cameras would previously be put on a loop to allow time for us to move in on the building. This will allow us an element of surprise. The first to enter will be Rose, myself, Laurent, and Harry. The four of us will take on the initial fire and allow for Bella, Alice, Garrett, and John to enter through the garage doors taking out anyone coming down the stairs. The rest of our people will follow us in." Anthony let out a sigh as he finished.

"How many do we have?" I asked.

"We have thirty, not including the six of us. Each sniper are the co-team leaders, we have two teams of seven and two teams of eight. Bella, Alice, and Garrett you will have the teams of eight." He informed.

The three of us nodded our heads.

"And the loud version?" Alice asked through hesitantly.

"Same team numbers, we have heavily armed cars and storm the castle guns blazing. The good thing about their base is that there isn't anything around for miles. They have a lot of privacy, which is perfect for us if we need to do this. It's not so secluded that we can use explosives, but the amount of gunfire that will be happening, won't raise any suspicion from anyone. This area is known to be private land and people tend to avoid this area at all cost." He shrugged his shoulders.

That was convenient.

"Either way we are looking at the same timeframe for both. We would have to have our Mechanical Engineer's design the equipment for those cars. Jacob may be dumb in every other aspect of life, but he knows how to arm his men." He said slightly impressed.

"Brute force was never his issue." I stated without thinking. However, it was the truth. He never had an issue breaking a someone's jaw for speaking to him wrong. He had a problem with being a generally good person. He was and still is an extremely shitty person

"Bella, I hate to do this but I'm giving you another week before I make an executive decision and go with option two." Honesty was present in the statement. I appreciate him doing this. Pressure was the only tactic he hadn't tried and I was hoping it would give me the push I needed.

I nodded my head in agreement.

"Other than that, there isn't anything else I have for you now. I will make some calls into my contacts to get started on designing just in case we need to go with option two." Anthony finished our meeting.

John was waiting outside to take to our new home.

Alice and Rose had chosen the 'perfect' house for us. It was a nice four-bedroom house in the Renton Highlands area, much closer to the Hospital than Tacoma. We wouldn't be spending too long in this house because once we were done with this Jacob fiasco we were going on a road trip to everywhere and nowhere.

"Just to let you ladies know, I was able to make it back to my grandbabies recital." He stated with pride.

"How did she do?" Alice asked.

"She did fantastically. If you ask me, she was the best up there." He said ignoring the strong bias of the statement.

"John, when all of this is over I'm cooking for everyone that helped. You and your family are more than welcome." I invited the sweet man that had created a life for himself outside of this underworld he was part of.

"You should come. Bella is a fantastic cook." Rose encouraged him.

"That would be great. I'm sure that my daughter wouldn't mind seeing some of her old friends." He accepted.

"Your daughter was part of this life?" I asked.

"No, she is just aware of it. I made sure that she was always aware of what was going on. Ignorance is a danger I couldn't afford. She stayed trained in self-defense and offense. I always taught her to never be a victim. She is one hell of a shot." He affirmed.

"You sound like my dad. He would say ' _Bella if you're going to shoot someone aim for between the eyes. Never give them the opportunity to escape or continue hurting you._ ' He knew that if it came down to me pointing a gun at them, I should probably kill them." I uttered feeling a slight blush creeping on my cheeks.

"That sounds like my kind of guy." His stated through a deep belly laugh.

We finally arrived at the house after another thirty minutes. By this time, it was after midnight. The day's events had drained us completely. The house looked cozy and comfortable. It was tall and in a quiet neighborhood. The houses were cookie-cutter and seemed normal.

John went in and made sure that everything was up and running. He gave us the keys and security system information and wished us a good night.

We were too tired to do anything but take quick showers and go to bed.

The only issue? I couldn't sleep. I have been awake for god only knows how long, my adrenaline had been going all day, you would think that I would've knocked out as soon as my head hit the pillow. That wasn't the case.

I sat in bed tossing and turning. The only thing I could think about was the quiet option. I needed to get past this mental block. Jacob had tried to take Charlie's life twice now. He was trying to take the person who literally killed for me.

I sat up and reached for my phone.

Seeing that it was 4 O'clock in the morning I dialed the number of the person I needed.

"Hello" A raspy sleepy voice sounded on the other end.

"I need to go to the warehouse. I have to take this shot." I pleaded on the other end.

"Alright, I'll pick you up in twenty." Anthony said with a yawn then hung up.

I got out of bed and got ready.

Twenty minutes later I was in Anthony's car heading to the warehouse.

"Thank you." That was the only thing I said during the drive.

He didn't respond and I was glad.

We got to the warehouse and headed to the gun range at the back.

Anthony grabbed and 9mm loaded it and put it on the table facing down range like he has done many times before. He moved behind me and stayed there. Silent and still as a statue.

I got my gear and centered myself. I only allowed myself to think about the threat against my family.

I moved towards the gun and felt my heart rate pick up. I started to retreat, but I only kept thinking about what was at stake. I took another step, and my breathing became more labored.

 _Charlie almost died_

I thought to myself.

I took another step. Now I was at the table.

My labored breathing increased.

 _He will kill EVERYONE you love._

I reached for the gun.

My vision started to get blurry. I took another few deep breaths.

My hand was now hovering over the gun.

I then put my hand on the gun. My legs started to give out, but I caught myself on the table. I centered myself again and continued to breathe deeply.

 _He will kill Edward._

That was my final thought. The next thing I knew I straightened myself up and aimed the gun. Three deep breathes.

 _Inhale_

 _Exhale_

 _My vision clears_

 _Inhale_

 _Exhale_

 _My heart rate slows_

 _Inhale_

 _Exhale_

 _My hands steady_

Then…

BANG!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The sound of the gun going off rings through the gun range.

I put the gun down after the fourth shot with a smile on my face.

All within the kill zone.

Hell yeah!

I turned to look at Anthony. There was that brotherly pride look in his eyes.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Anthony started "I believe we have Shots. Fired."

 **AN: Hello everyone! I know that this story had been going on for a while, but please know that we are reaching the end. This chapter was to set up the final few chapters. There will be a short follow up, that I am currently working on.**

 **Yes, that's right. I'm working on the final chapter for this story. I am hoping by summer I can have this story finish and the follow up posted.**

 **I hope you are all happy with where the characters will end up.**


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